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Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia, are all in the potential path of Hurricane Ian; it is a massive storm, so it could hit all of us at one level or another. First and foremost, be safe, and don’t be a hero or too curious while the storm is coming through your area. I have written several excellent Hurricane preparation guides you can find in the News section of our website. I want to give you 3 Simple Things To Do and 3 Things Not To Do if your property is damaged due to this hurricane.

THINGS TO DO

1. Please take a picture of your Insurance policy Declaration page, so you have it on your phone. It will have your Insurance claim phone number, policy number, and coverages. These are all needed when you file a claim.
2. File your claim as EARLY as POSSIBLE – As soon as you determine you have home damage, even if it is just minor damage, you need to get into the Insurance company’s system as quickly as possible. They will be overloaded with calls, so it usually is first come, first served.
3. Take pictures of all damage to your home and items in your home and on your property.

THINGS NOT TO DO

1. DO NOT GUESS HOW SOMETHING HAPPENED: Unless you are an EXPERT like a General Contractor or an Insurance Adjuster, the last thing you want to do is guess how the damage occurred to your property. This can backfire against you and get your claim denied or underpaid.
2. DON’T SAY WORDS THAT CAN HURT YOUR CLAIM: Certain words get used against you with your claim. Here are three of them
   1. FLOOD – Your insurance company has a separate policy for flood, and if you say, “Water flooded my house,” they often assume that it is Flood water and say they do not cover your claim from the storm.
   2. MOLD –I cannot use the word mold because I have not been certified to identify mold. Mold has a $10K limit, while water damage from a Hurricane is usually fully covered. So keep water damage in your vocabulary as your primary type of damage.
   3. PREVIOUS DAMAGE – If you even hint that there has been an ongoing concern that had happened previously, they will immediately determine that it was not repaired properly and should not be covered. We do not want you to lie, but you can state that you do not know what caused the damage and that you are “Not An Expert” and you need someone to come out and determine how the damage happened.
3. DO NOT THROW OUT DAMAGED ITEMS – If you throw items out, you risk not getting paid for the item. You can put them in trash bags and keep them from being thrown out, but they need to be photographed to see the type and extent of the damage.

If you are nervous that you may say something or do something wrong, hire a Public Adjuster like me to review and manage your claim. We know how to maximize the repairs needed for your claim, which is usually considerably more than the Insurance company will offer you. YOU PAY NOTHING upfront to work with a Public Adjuster. Call 954-477-6161 or contact us here.

Be safe and pray for others to be safe from this storm, and call me if you need help.