Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, hailstorms, and floods cause over $130 billion in damages every year. When your home becomes part of these statistics, filing an insurance claim after a natural disaster is a critical first step toward recovery. However, navigating the process is complex and frustrating, especially if you are unfamiliar with the system or under stress. Knowing what steps to take and when to take them often makes the difference between a successful, timely payout and a drawn-out dispute.

Filing a successful storm damage insurance claim requires more than just calling your insurer. The process, and it is a process, involves detailed documentation, proactive communication, and persistence. By understanding your policy, acting quickly, and staying organized, you can maximize your claim and get the help you need to recover. A professional partner, like a New Orleans insurance lawyer, gives policyholders a critical advantage. A lawyer gives legal advice through the claims process and handles appeal matters when necessary.

Ensure Safety First

Before thinking about insurance, make sure you and your loved ones are safe. Stay away from damaged structures, downed power lines, or floodwaters. If the property is uninhabitable, seek temporary shelter.

Once the immediate danger has passed and the property is safe to enter, begin documenting the damage as quickly as possible. Most policies include strict claims reporting time limits.

Review Your Insurance Policy

Read your homeowners or renters insurance policy carefully to understand what is and isn’t covered. Key things to look for include:

• Perils Covered: Most standard homeowners policies cover wind, hail, and lightning but often exclude flooding and earthquakes. Separate policies usually cover these losses.
• Deductibles: Some policies have separate wind or hurricane deductibles, which may be higher than your standard deductible.
• Exclusions and Limitations: Note if there are specific exclusions for mold, water backup, or certain types of personal property. These claims are so common, costly, and subjective that insurance companies usually try to protect themselves.
• Loss of Use: This category usually includes additional living expenses if you’re unable to live in your home during repairs.

Understanding the terms of your policy helps you advocate for yourself more effectively during the claim process.

Document the Damage Thoroughly

The success or failure of a storm damage claim largely depends on how well you can document your losses. This documentation includes:

• Photos and Videos: You have that fancy smartphone camera. Use it. Take wide and close-up shots of all damage, focusing on structural issues, water intrusion, broken windows, roof damage, and other areas.
• List of Damaged Items: Include brand, model, age, and estimated value. Receipts or proof of purchase can speed up the process. Most policies cover the full insured value of covered property, not its current fair market value. Depreciation doesn’t matter in this context.
• Structural Assessments: If you suspect hidden damage, such as foundation cracks or electrical issues, partner with a licensed contractor or storm damage lawyer and assess it early.

Consult a storm damage checklist when documenting damage. An inventory app is even better. Do not discard any damaged items until your insurance adjuster has seen them, unless these items pose a safety risk.

Mitigate Further Damage

Most policies require policyholders to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage after a disaster. Cover broken windows or roofs with tarps or boards, shut off water or electricity if necessary (and it’s probably necessary), and move undamaged items to safe locations.

Perhaps most importantly, keep all receipts for temporary repairs or supplies. Your insurer may reimburse these costs as part of the claim.

Take steps to mitigate damage and document these steps. But do not start permanent repairs until after your insurance adjuster has inspected the damage.

File Your Claim Promptly

Time is of the essence. Insurance companies typically require claims to be filed within a specific window after the event, typically 30 to 60 days.

Begin by contacting your insurer. Use the company’s website, mobile app, or hotline to initiate the claim.

Provide basic details, such as the policy number, date, and type of storm, and a preliminary description of the damage. Avoid going into details. Telephone adjusters may seem affable, but they’re trained to extract damaging information from harried homeowners.

Get a claim number and keep it handy for future reference. You may have to insist on this point. Many insurance companies delay the claims payment process, which starts with a claim number, as long as possible. A claim number requires an insurance company to assign an adjuster to the case and get the ball rolling.

Work With the Insurance Adjuster

Before the adjuster arrives, obtain multiple repair estimates from local licensed contractors. These estimates set the value of the claim and also indicate the complete repair and restoration process. 

Make sure the estimates are detailed and itemized, and that the contractor is experienced with storm restoration work. Some companies specialize in working with insurers and can help streamline the process.

When the adjuster comes onsite, take the bull by the horns and walk the adjuster through the damage. As you go, provide documentation, photos, and your inventory list. Do not forget to request a copy of the adjuster’s report or summary once complete.

Insurance adjusters typically offer their own damage valuation, often during the inspection. Compare this valuation to the other ones you received, so you have leverage if you need to dispute the insurance company’s offer.

Understand Settlement Options

A large settlement is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that makes all this mitigation, documentation, and other labor worthwhile.

We mentioned that insurance policies cover the full insured value of property, regardless of depreciation. However, some insurance companies offer actual cash value (ACV) settlements. The insurance company pays the depreciated value of damaged items or property.

ACV settlements could be a good option if you don’t plan to replace damaged property and need cash quickly. Because of their lower value, many insurance companies readily offer ACV settlements.

Replacement Cost Value (RCV) settlements pay the total cost to repair or replace items with similar new ones, up to policy limits. Any replacement must be seamless. If flood waters ruin the carpet near the wall, the insurance company must normally replace the carpet in the whole room. However, the insurance company is under no obligation to replace matching carpet in an undamaged hall, at least in most cases.

Some policies require you to replace the items or complete repairs before receiving the full replacement cost. Some policies also limit policyholders to ACV settlements.

Connect With a Diligent New Orleans Attorney

Disaster-related property damage often turns life upside down. Insurance companies are usually willing to do the right thing if policyholders prod them into doing so. 

For a confidential consultation with an experienced insurance lawyer in New Orleans, contact Insurance Claim HQ. Virtual and after-hours visits are available.