Part 3
Welcome back to our 4 part special on how to best be prepared for the upcoming hurricane season. To recap what we spoke about in the first two parts of this blog series.
1. Have all your documents in a easily accessible place so you can grab them if you are in a hurry, this should include your insurance policy as you will need it should you have to file a Hurricane related insurance claim.
2. Make sure to stock up on essential food and water with an eye on getting items with a long shelf life as there may be a chance you are without electric or under a state of emergency for a while which might restrict your access to food or water.
3. Know your evacuation route before disaster hits.
4. Make sure you have a fully stocked first aid kit and essential hygiene products.
This week we will go over two more essential steps you should take in order to fully prepare for hurricane season.
Being that most of us are stuck at home due to the novel coronavirus or covid-19 there is no better time to take a few minuets each day and focus on preparing for this years hurricane season.
As of April 2020 the prediction for this year’s hurricane season is not looking good, with a 30% increase in predicted hurricane activity.
Step 5.
Document Everything.
As public adjusters we can’t stress this enough. There have been countless times that one of our public adjusters are called out to a homeowner in distress after their home got destroyed by a hurricane, but are limited to what they could do because there was no documentation or pictures on the inside of the house in its pre-loss condition.
Another thing we often come across especially after Hurricane Irma is that a lot of homeowners elected to put a quick patch on their roof because they didn’t want to file a insurance claim at that time for whatever reason. What typically happens is that after a few months the quick temporary repair fails and the homeowner realizing that he actually needs a new roof wants to go ahead with his insurance claim. Failing to keep the records of that initial repair could lead to a potential denial of your claim by your carrier.
This applies to all insurance claims, if you have damage to your home always take pictures and keep all invoices and receipts of any repairs you do.
Step 6.
Protect your property!!! Shutter your windows and lock your doors.
During Hurricane Irma in 2017, city’s in Florida Experienced winds of over 100mph. Unless you have special hurricane proof windows and doors there is a good chance they might get blown in or damaged. People think that the biggest danger to their home is the wind outside, however in a lot of cases its actually bits of debris and trees slamming into your home that causes the majority of the damage.
Having the proper shutters or even hanging plywood over your windows greatly reduces the chances of your home getting impacted and damaged via your windows and doors.
To conclude, always err on the side of caution and you can never be over prepared. The National Hurricane Center will provide you with up to date information on any impending Hurricane.
Remember if you end up having to file an insurance claim you have options. At the end of the day its your home and your most important asset and it always pays to get a second opinion and advise from a homeowners insurance expert.
If you do have damage from Hurricane Irma keep in mind that the statute of limitations to file a claim is up in September of this year.
Until Next week. Stay safe!!!!!