How to Repair and Rebuild After Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian passed right through the middle of Florida on Wednesday and Thursday, September 28-29, 2022. It was named one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the United States, with wind gusts clocked at 150 mph. We monitored updates and watched news reports about widespread devastation and flooding that trapped residents in their homes. President Biden declared Hurricane Ian a major disaster in Florida and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in areas affected by the storm [1].
If your property was affected by the storm, you’re certainly thinking about your own recovery efforts and how to seek help.
As Florida homeowners, we are some of the highest payers for insurance premiums in the nation, but will coverage include all damages from Ian? Clearly over the past few days, we have seen first-hand the damage that can come from wind, flying debris, and flooding. A category 4 hurricane brings a number of catastrophes at once, with very little time to prepare.
As we assess the aftermath, it’s important to understand the first steps in recovering the resources needed to repair and rebuild. In this article, we will review the steps you need to take to submit a property insurance claim and why CORE Public Adjusters should be your next call. Let’s get started.
How to File a Hurricane Ian Property Insurance Claim
Our experts have outlined a step-by-step action plan for you to get started on claiming damages from your insurance company. In a previous article, How CORE Public Adjusters Helps Clients File Insurance Claims, we detailed the following steps:
Step 1: Make initial contact with your insurance company.
Step 2: Manage the insurance company’s field adjuster.
Step 3: Keep a record of your losses.
Step 4: Complete a Proof of Loss form, if required.
Remember, time is of the essence when filing an insurance claim for property damages. Consider your timeline beginning from the moment the damage occurs.
The time it takes to receive an insurance payment from an insurance company depends on a number of factors, including:
- the scale of loss or damage,
- the time it takes to get an adjuster out to you,
- the time it takes for you and your insurer to agree on the payout amount, and
- any state or federal laws that govern insurance claims.
The state of Florida requires your insurer to respond to your claim inquiry within fourteen calendar days unless factors beyond their control prevent it, and your insurer should pay out the claim within 90 days [2].
Why You Should Call CORE Public Adjusters to Help You with Your Insurance Claim
We understand your immediate needs for repair and cleanup of your property damage. CORE Public Adjusters has a full staff of insurance claims professionals who are experts at working with homeowners and insurance companies to get fair and fast insurance claim resolution.
Proven Insurance Claim Process
Throughout our time serving the community, we have proven the value of working with our CORE experts in a number of ways. Some of our service offerings were highlighted in the April 2022 article, Is Hiring a Public Adjuster Worth It?
Here is a snapshot of what we will do to help you:
- We will contact your insurance company and notify them that you have retained us to represent you. We’ll take over the responsibility of managing all communications with them.
- We will coordinate inspection of your property damage, compile the report, and generate a fair estimate. If your insurance company already completed their own inspection, we’ll review the report to make sure it wasn’t too low.
- We will conduct additional testing for things like mold, if necessary. If there is a need to contract additional experts, we will handle all of that for you using our trusted vendors.
- We will compile damages and send a demand package to your insurance company. This includes property, contents, mold, and loss of use or alternative living expenses.
- We will work toward settlement and aggressively follow up with the insurer to fight for the best, quickest resolution.
We’ve Seen Natural Disasters in Florida Before…and Helped Others to Rebuild
Every year, we see a number of weather-related disasters, including severe tropical storms, fires, tornadoes, lightening, floods, and fallen trees.
Our team at CORE Public Adjusters is always keeping an eye on the latest forecasts so we can prepare for unexpected weather concerns. In fact, in our May article, From Alex to Walter, 2022 Hurricane Season is Here and Predicted to be Above-Normal by NOAA, we relayed to our readers the warning from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that 2022 would be an above-normal season for storm activity. The NOAA predicted 14-21 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher, and of those hurricanes 3-6 major hurricanes category 3-5. We take these kinds of warnings seriously and fully prepare ahead of time to serve our community with all of our resources.
For years our experienced recovery team has helped homeowners to receive the highest payouts from property damage insurance claims. Our insurance claim experts have worked with all major property insurance providers in Florida. That means we have insights only experts would have. If you’re new to submitting insurance claims, you may not want to go at it alone without expert insurance claim help. Our team-based approach to handling insurance claims, along with the resources and experience we’ve gained over the years, gives us the advantage to fight aggressively on your behalf.
We’re Prepared to Help Recover Your Losses, and are Standing by to Assist You
We understand that every claim is different, and we use our experience to customize attention to the unique details of your claim. Contact us for a free property damage consultation as soon as possible.
References
- Retrieved from The White House Briefing Room
- Retrieved from Florida Department of Financial Services https://www.myfloridacfo.com/division/consumers/understandingcoverage/guides/documents/HOABillRights.pdf
