As the storm thrashed its way onto the Florida Gulf Coast, insurers were braced and ready with advice.
As Storm Ian makes its way across Florida, hurricane insurance companies are hoping to help customers to stay safe and know what to do after the storm has gone by.
Though storm surge was the biggest threat along the Gulf Coast, wind and flooding threaten inland.
Hurricane insurance companies always recommend making paper copies of policies stored in waterproof cases such as plastic resealable freezer bags. Saving policies online in the cloud so that they can be accessed by phone or computer can also be handy. Taking photos and video of the home and specific valuable items is also advisable, taking special note of appliance and electronics makes models and serial numbers is also handy in case of a claim.
That said, at this point, insurers are advising policyholders to do everything they can to stay safe. Once the storm arrives, the best thing to do is to remain in place in a safe and secure location. Everything else can be dealt with after the storm has passed.
Post storm hurricane insurance advice is meant to help policyholders know what to expect.
Policyholders are being advised to make any urgent emergency repairs as soon as they can and in what reasonable way they can. This includes covering a broken window and securing the property to help prevent theft. The damage should be reported as soon as possible by filing a claim with the home insurers. The insurer should send an adjuster to inspect the damage within days of the filing of the claim, once it is safe to do so.
According to Insurance Information Institute data, home policyholders can expect the following:
- That wind-caused property damage is covered by standard home, renters’ and business policies.
- That NFIP customers are typically covered for damage related to overland flooding. That said, it should also be noted that even in the county with the highest participation in NFIP – Miami-Dade County – only about 35 percent of homes are covered.
- The optional comprehensive portion of an auto policy is what provides storm-related damage to a vehicle.
- There are federal disaster assistance resources. Homeowners should look into them if they need help with damage for which they do not have hurricane insurance coverage.
