Florida and Georgia are two states in the United States that are frequently hit by hurricanes every year. These hurricanes strike without warning, causing devastation to your home and life. If your home or property is damaged by a hurricane, you may be able to seek the help of hurricane damage lawyers. How so?
Through this article, we will show you what compensation you can get with the help of a lawyer. So, start reading!
Most Common Types of Hurricane Damage
In general, the warning of a major and dangerous hurricane is unpredictable. This is why most Florida and Georgia residents have to leave their homes to seek safety. Unfortunately, upon return, the extent of damage done to property can be severe. Below are some of the most common hurricane damages.
- Broken windows
- Doors to homes, garages and other structures damaged or destroyed
- Projectile damage
- Destruction of personal belongings and home interior items including furniture or appliances
- Fire damage from downed wires
- Flooding
- Harm to boats, cars, and other vehicles
- Moisture damage
- Property damage to expensive outdoor fixtures including swimming pools, sheds, and landscaping
- Roof removal, shingle, gutter, and siding demolition
- Structural damage to house walls, porches, and outbuildings
After all, hurricanes are a natural phenomenon where there is no limit to the amount of damage your home or property can sustain. In other words, all of the above types of damage can occur to your home when a storm strikes. When this happens, you can immediately contact your insurance company for financial recovery assistance.
Please get rid of your doubt because this bad condition is your priority. You must save everything you can protect, and get the best compensation from the insurance you own.
Next Steps to Take After a Hurricane Strike
When you return home after successfully escaping the hurricane, you may be shocked and confused to see the damage done to your home. But now, no need to panic. Here are some steps or actions you can take after a hurricane has severely damaged your home.
1. Record the Storm Damage
Once you feel safe and okay to do so, you can take some photos and videos of all the damage. Remember to cover all four sides of the house as well as the roof, starting with a wider angle before photographing each item of your home.
In addition, we also recommend that you take notes of the circumstances before your home was damaged by the hurricane. You can do this to increase your success rate in claiming your policy to the insurance company. Further, please act before the hurricane hits and destroys your home.
2. Prevent Additional Damage
Most insurance policies require homeowners to make reasonable efforts to stem further damage with temporary repairs after the storm is over. For example, if a window is broken, you should cover the open area with a tarp to avoid further water damage.
3. Contact Your Insurance Company ASAP
After a major hurricane, insurance companies may be flooded with claims. Moreover, these insurance companies will also usually handle claims based on a first-come, first-served basis. Therefore, it is crucial to contact your insurance provider immediately.
You can contact a personal agent as soon as possible. If they are not available, you can contact the insurance company’s general support line. You should give any status updates on the steps you have taken so far, press them to schedule an inspection soon, and see what else you can do to keep your claim going.
Find Out What Your Insurance Covers for Hurricane Damage
When you are planning to claim for hurricane damage to your property or home, an important aspect that you should consider is knowing what your insurance covers. While all insurance policies are different, it is not uncommon for some policies to have similarities to help you. Here are the two insurance that may work the most:
1. Homeowners Insurance
If a hurricane damages or destroys your home, most homeowners insurance policies will cover storm damage. However, each of these insurance policies is different from one another. Thus, you must read the homeowners insurance policy before seeking financial recovery and contacting hurricane damage lawyers.
Also, it is important to know that most homeowners insurance does not cover damage to the home caused by flooding that occurs as a result of a storm. Considering this, you may have to purchase flood insurance to recover damages for flood damage to your property from your insurance company.
2. Car Insurance
If your car is damaged by a hurricane, you not only need to have standard personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. However, you should also have collision coverage or comprehensive coverage. That’s because standard PIP won’t adequately cover any damage to your car from a hurricane strike.
In other words, both types of coverage can cover the damage affected to your car. The types of damage that can be covered range from falling debris, flood damage, and high winds, all of which can occur when a strong storm hits Florida or Georgia.
Why Should I Hire Hurricane Damage Lawyers?
There is a main reason why you really need a lawyer to handle your hurricane damages claim, which has to do with the insurance company. As someone who has insurance, you would expect the insurance company to help you recover the losses that you incurred due to the hurricane attack on your home, right?
Sadly, the condition does not easily apply. The reason is, when your house or property is hit by a hurricane, be it strong winds or storm surge, the insurance company has other plans. They will try as much as possible to minimize or even clearly reject the claims you submit.
In most cases, these insurers often delay payments, send partial claim payments, and even reply to your claim submission with an outright rejection. Either way, this will certainly cause a significant emotional impact on you, ranging from stress, anxiety, and severe sadness.
Considering all of the above issues, this is the reason why you really need to have hurricane damage lawyers on your side. You can contact these experienced people to help you survey the damage to your property caused by the storm before you file a claim with the insurance company.
Not only that, in case you have already filed a claim with the insurance company and you receive a rejection, hurricane damage lawyers will help you. These knowledgeable and experienced individuals can help you achieve the total financial recovery amount that you are entitled to.
Have You Known How Important the Hurricane Damage Lawyers Are?
Filing a claim for hurricane damage to your home with an insurance company can be a bit complicated. With all these complications, hurricane damage lawyers are there to save the day. They are the experts you can turn to to help you succeed in filing your claim and getting the compensation you deserve.
In conclusion, if your home or property has been severely damaged by a hurricane but the insurance company rejects your claim, you can contact hurricane damage attorneys. Assistance will come soon and you can get back to living your life as usual.
