Steps to Take When Your Home Suffers Hurricane Damage

The United States has a notorious hurricane season, running from June through November each year. Images of hurricane emergency rescues and widespread destruction in various regions are on the news annually.

People living anywhere on the Eastern Seaboard up to New England or those along the Gulf Coast can experience major hurricane activity. However, hurricanes can affect residents as far west as California and as far inland as Missouri or Illinois.

Subsequently, almost half the U.S. has a notable hurricane threat. Therefore, making an insurance claim for hurricane damage is a common occurrence, and choosing the right New Orleans hurricane damage attorney to address any hiccups in the process can be critical.

Free Case Evaluation

Devastating Weather Events

This weather phenomenon causes the most damage of any natural disaster, making life challenging for residents and businesses, especially when they receive inadequate insurance payouts. Often, homeowners are underinsured, or their policy covers wind damage only, leading to costly losses with no coverage.

Is There Such a Thing as Hurricane Insurance?

While hurricanes cause terrible damage, there is no hurricane insurance per se. Instead, most homeowners insurance policies will cover different types of hurricane damage, like the effects of wind and rain. However, there will probably be deductibles for this damage, and these costs can increase once a storm is deemed a hurricane. Further, homeowners must have separate coverage for any flood-related damages, which is common in hurricanes.

What Are The Most Common Hurricane Damage Claims?

A Category 4 or Category 5 hurricane will cause unbelievable damage to your home, and even the most robust structure is at risk. In addition to external or internal home damage, there are untold consequences for trees, roofs, or external walls, bringing life-changing financial outcomes.

The following claims are most common for hurricane survivors:

• Roofs are at risk when wind speeds hit above 130 mph, and their value depends on factors such as age, material, and condition. You may need to replace the roof entirely, though extra insurance provisions might be necessary. 
• Interiors suffer mostly from dampness and flooding caused by heavy rains or storm surges. Damage is most prevalent in the aftermath of a flood, causing mold to grow in between walls and weakening or endangering the structure. 
• Equipment and appliances may be destroyed by flooding or fallen power lines, including boilers, electrical products, and telephone systems are all vulnerable.

Displacement is also common after a hurricane event. Famously, up to 1,000,000 people were displaced after Hurricane Katrina, and displacement is common following most hurricanes.

What Insurance Will Help Me?

Homeowners in hurricane-heavy zones may need to buy a combination of other policies to complement their homeowners insurance:

Flood Insurance

Normal homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, so a separate policy is necessary. A hurricane brings storm surges, damaging even houses thought unreachable. All storm surge or heavy rain flooding will require flood insurance.

There is the private option, though most homeowners sign up for federal help through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is run by FEMA.

Windstorm Insurance

Coastal residents of hurricane-prone regions will not find wind damage covered by their homeowners insurance. People living in these areas will buy separate windstorm policies.

Sewer Backup Insurance

An unfortunate yet realistic outcome is having damage to your home caused by breached sewers or storm drains. If this happens because of a hurricane, this other form of coverage will further protect a homeowner.

Hurricane Deductibles

State insurance laws allow companies to apply a “named storm deductible” once the National Hurricane Center (NHC) updates a storm to a named event. 

Currently, there are 19 states with mandatory hurricane deductibles based on a percentage of the home’s value:

• Florida can be anywhere between two percent and ten percent of the property value;
• Louisiana commonly reaches five percent;
• New Jersey goes from five percent mandatory to ten percent optional;
• Connecticut hits five percent;
• Texas varies by insurer but mostly stays below two percent.

Regardless of the percentage, a hurricane deductible will eat into any homeowner’s recovery from the event. Moreover, states like Louisiana and Florida suffer multiple hurricanes each year. Homeowners must seek the right policy and understand how often their deductible applies — per event, per season, or per year.

Do You Need an Insurance Agent?

There are two kinds of insurance agents — captive insurance agents and independent insurance agents. Each one serves their client in the same way, though with differing levels of restraint.

Captive insurance agents are professional representatives of the homeowner’s insurance company one joins. They guide clients through the entire process, from brokering the best premiums to aiding in the event of disaster.

Some insurance agents are independent, selling policies for several insurance firms at once. They are similar to an agent, though slightly different from an insurance broker, who works directly for the client.

Choosing the right agent is the first step any homeowner should take after buying a home, especially if they live in a hurricane-affected state. Hurricane insurance is a complicated business, so having the right team onboard will favor any outcome.

The Post-Hurricane Period

Following hurricane damage, most homeowners will want to clean up, secure their homes for safety purposes, and begin rebuilding their lives. It can also mean families being separated from their homes for some time. However, the insurance claim process can take many months, with families stuck in temporary accommodation or worse.

When Do I Need a Hurricane Damage Lawyer?

In some cases, insurers might offer less than the value of your damage. While you may have paid an independent insurance agent to find the best policy, the insurance companies they represent only have one thing in mind — their bottom line. They seek any opportunity to pay less, thus protecting their financial interests. Your agent cannot help you any further in this situation.

If your insurer doesn’t make a fair offer or is otherwise being difficult, you should hire a hurricane damage lawyer. There are many reasons to hire a hurricane damage lawyer, including when insurers do the following:

• Deny the claim outright
• Expect acceptance of full payment early after the hurricane, leaving potential later-stage problems unaddressed
• Ask you to sign a “full-payment” release with unresolved claim issues
• Make an offer where losses are only partially covered
• Dispute flood damage claims because flooding was caused by different forces
• Act in bad faith, delaying claim payments or missing deadlines
• Obscure or redefine the policy’s coverage or offer Actual Cash Value when the policy determines replacement

How to Help a Hurricane Damage Lawyer Win Your Claim

Making an Inventory

If you suffer losses, the first step is to conduct a room-by-room assessment of all insurance claims you have. Some homeowners do this before any potential storm damage to be better prepared to make future claims.

Several factors will help a strong inventory:

• Thoroughness. Be sure to detail contents in every corner of the property, including attics, basements, and other areas. Take account of all the objects in your property, as these can help you build a claim. 
• Receipts and proof of purchase are necessary to make claims, so keeping a paper trail is appropriate. 
• Making video, written, or photographic records of all the family’s belongings may be a daunting task. Breaking the task into smaller parts can lessen the burden. 

A detailed inventory may be near impossible post-hurricane, and it might affect your claim. However, you must take stock of all the damages accrued, being as thorough as the situation allows.

Reviewing Damage and Building Evidence

Organizing yourself will help you take stock of all the damage. Therefore, having a hurricane insurance claim log might help. Keeping a list of relevant names, dates, and other details will strengthen the claim.

There are ways to document all your damage and proof of loss can be established by doing the following:

• Taking photos of each damaged item;
• Making a description of the damage incurred;
• Estimating the item’s value;
• Getting ahold of the purchase evidence. 

Clearly, this stage is where your home inventory will prove essential, both for making a claim or helping a lawyer win a case.

Hiring a Hurricane Damage Lawyer

Even if you paid for years, covering every premium, insurance companies are still reluctant to pay full benefits, even if it is warranted. 

If your claim isn’t met with the desired outcome or even rejected entirely, hiring a hurricane damage lawyer will be the next step. If anything, it will show your insurer that you are taking the claim very seriously and can give them pause.

Hiring a lawyer to represent your claim may be all that’s necessary to provoke a response from a reluctant insurer. Once an insurer sees a hurricane damage lawyer join a homeowner’s team, they may look at the claim much differently.

Working on Contingency

After suffering hurricane damage, which can easily reach five or six figures, homeowners may feel hesitant about the expenses involved in hiring a lawyer.

Thankfully, some hurricane damage lawyers will work on a contingency basis, meaning they will only charge a client if they win their claim. The hurricane damage attorney’s fees are offset against the value of the claim they win.

Therefore, being sure to cover all your bases on the claim will improve one’s chance of a successful claim.

What Complications Affect a Claim?

A claim takes a long time to process, though the likelihood is that you will make multiple claims, any of which may be rejected. For instance, flood damage may be limited to fallen rainwater but not rising drain flooding. Hiring a hurricane damage attorney to steer you through this process will bring you peace of mind during a challenging experience.

Problems that may arise with certain insurance companies include:

• Refusing to pay for your covered losses (even if you are covered)
• Saying there is missing evidence or other important information
• Insisting that you missed crucial deadlines for filing the claim

Retaining the services of an experienced hurricane damage attorney will help mitigate such issues.

How Can a Hurricane Damage Lawyer Help Me?

It may be prudent to seek legal guidance immediately after a hurricane and before you file your claim. Having a hurricane damage insurance attorney start the process sends an immediate message to your insurer. Here are some ways legal help can benefit hurricane accident claims:

• Filing your claim, ensuring all the documents are in order, and submitting them accordingly.
• Helping with proof of loss paperwork to ensure loss is proven without doubt.
• Backing up your claim with experience is necessary to ensure a fair payout.
• Assisting with deadlines, which can approach or pass without warning from insurers who want to prevent the payout. 
• Negotiating on your behalf to get the best settlement for the claim possible. 

Bringing a Lawsuit If The Claim Is Denied

Sometimes, insurers will not even respond appropriately to your hurricane damage attorney. If your claim is denied or you only receive lowball offers, and you have enough evidence to make the case, a lawsuit against your insurers might be the only solution.

Hire a Hurricane Damage Lawyer Today 

If you live anywhere near the U.S. hurricane risk map, it is worth knowing a good hurricane damage lawyer. Nobody expects to suffer such a dire experience, but nothing can be worse than facing the aftermath without the right support. Give yourself peace of mind and speak to an experienced Louisiana insurance lawyer today.