Taking On A Hurricane
This time of year, like clockwork, hurricanes plow through the East Coast, leaving insurance disasters behind them. So much so that we have become well adjusted to this chaos. Home owners are taking the necessary precautions, insurance-wise, to handle the paperwork aftermath that comes with these perfect storms.
Hurricane Andrew, Katrina and Wilma were quite the learning experiences for all. More recently, the damage from Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands is a tell-tale sign of the shape of things to come. These storms aren’t going to stop and they are only getting stronger.
When a new hurricane is announced, residential property owners have put themselves in prepare mode with securing windows & doors, and taking photos & videos of property prior to the first signs of rainfall. Then there are the longterm plans of maintaining roof systems, reinforcing structures with impact windows, doors and hurricane straps. Some of these are required depending on the municipality and building codes.
These are among the many issues homeowners have to be prepared for: food spoilage from power outages, fallen trees, blown roof shingles, exposed roof sheathing, water intrusion to the interior of a home causing mold and more.
Don’t tackle these challenges by your lonesome. Contact a professional public adjuster who has the experience and skills to identify issues and deal with the insurance company. Don’t wait until the last minute either. Do it at the early stages of your claim.
When you team up with said public adjuster, make sure you understand the extent and scope of the damage, the initial cost of repairs, the timeline for the repair period and what the benefits under the insurance policy contract are.
Hurricanes create physical damage but also take an emotional toll on us. Make the storm that less stressful by making sure that all of your insurance business is handled.