Hurricane Damage Claims

1. File a claim with your insurance company.
2. Take photographs of any damage to the interior and exterior of your home.
3. Compare new photos with those taken before the storm.
4. Have a public adjuster, contractor, or damage expert assess the property.
5. Understand your insurance policy and what is and isn’t covered.
6. Contact an experienced hurricane damage attorney if your insurer is wrongfully delaying, denying, or underpaying your claim.

This depends on whether your insurance policy covers the full scope of potential hurricane damage. For example, many policies exclude flood damage, which is ironic given that flooding can often lead to the most significant type of damage suffered by a home during a hurricane. Most standard homeowners policies separate water damage from flooding, so you will need to secure flood coverage through either the National Flood Insurance Program, FEMA, or another authorized private carrier.

Oftentimes no. Policies will include wind damage and in some cases, water damage, but damage from flooding is another element that is typically excluded from most policies. Homeowners will need to obtain flood damage coverage through an authorized private carrier or public entities like the National Flood Insurance Program or FEMA.

An insurance coverage limit determines the maximum amount of money an insurance company will pay for a covered claim. There may also be time limits within which you have to file a claim for incurred damage(s). We strongly recommend you go through your policy thoroughly to figure out what limits are present.

Anti-concurrent clauses prohibit recovery when a covered peril and non-covered peril combine to cause a loss. For example, if your home sustains wind (covered) and flooding (non-covered) damage due to a hurricane, your insurer will deny your claim regardless of the existing wind coverage. Be sure to read through your policy to determine whether there are any of these clauses.

In order to avoid underinsurance, we recommend you adopt Replacement Cost Coverage [RCC] over Actual Cash Value [ACV]. RCC equates to the cost to replace the damaged property with materials of similar kind and quality without any sort of deductions for depreciation. ACV payouts can be broken down into three ways – (1) the cost to repair or replace any damaged property, minus depreciation; (2) the “fair market value” of the damage property; (3) or by using what is known as the “broad evidence rule,” which is when insurers consider all relative evidence of the value of the damaged property. We recommend RCC because you stand to receive fairer compensation when filing a claim.

We have experienced insurance claim attorneys practicing nationwide. View our directory of attorneys here.