Posted on October 19, 2024
ICHQ | Site Author
After a huge storm rips through Louisiana, homeowners have the unenviable task of digging out from under the damage. If you intend to submit a hurricane damage claim, then you’ll need to document what happened. An adjuster with your insurance company should come out to look at the property, but that could be days or weeks later. The more documentation that you have, the better your odds of receiving payment on a claim.
Below, we offer hurricane insurance claim tips, including how to document your property damage.
Call Insurance Claim HQ if you are fighting to get a hurricane damage claim settled to cover your damage. We have negotiated successful settlements for countless homeowners.
First, Minimize Damage
Did a pipe burst? You need to get the water turned off before you go around taking photos. The insurance company expects you to take some reasonable steps to stop the damage from worsening.
Shutting off the water is a simple step. Other simple steps include removing waterlogged items so they don’t cause mold.
Although you should mitigate damage, don’t start repairing your property. That would actually erase the damage. You need to fully document property damage before starting repairs.
Take Photos from the Outside
Photographs should show the damage to the outside of your home, as well as your garage. You can use your phone to take pictures of all downed trees, debris fields, and anything else. If 50 shingles are scattered all over your driveway and lawn, get pictures of that.
Remember to take:
- Wide angle shots, which show your entire yard in one frame, or a tree from top to bottom as it lays against your house.
- Medium angle shots, which provide more context for damage.
- Up-close shots to show hurricane damage in detail. For example, a storm could have smashed planters, in which case you can take an up-close picture of them. Take up-close pictures of window damage from the outside.
Be careful. Storms often bring floodwaters, and it might be dangerous to step outside the day after a serious storm. Safety first.
Take Pictures Inside Your Home
You should go from room to room and document all damage. You could have water damage from a flood or a burst pipe, as well as huge holes inside the roof. As you go from room to room, remember to take:
- Wide angle shots which get the entire room in one picture. This helps orientate the viewer to the scene.
- Up-close shots of damaged items, such as water-damaged clothes or smashed windows.
- Multiple shots of items from different angles. Is your sofa destroyed by water damage? Remember to get pictures from all angles.
You can’t count on the insurance adjuster to come out to your house quickly, and you might need to get water-logged carpets torn out to minimize mold and help your home dry out. Therefore, you need as many pictures as you can get.
Walk Around Your Property and Record a Video
Videos are nice supplements to pictures. They give the viewer a sense of the layout of the property, as well as a general sense of which parts of your home were hit hardest by the storm. You can point out damage as you walk through and record. Zoom in to highlight anything of particular interest, like a watermark on the ceiling.
Record for a couple of minutes and then watch your video to see if you have sufficient lighting. The power is probably off at your home in the immediate aftermath of a storm. You can make quick adjustments. The last thing you want is to walk through and record a 30-minute video only to realize at the end that no one can see anything.
Take Pictures During the Day
Take advantage of available daylight by taking pictures during the day. After taking a few pictures, look at them to see if they are bright enough. You might need to use a flash.
Ask for Help
It can be exhausting documenting the damage to your home. Ask a friend or family member to come help you. They can bring their phone to take pictures and then send those photos to you so that you have them all in a folder.
A friend can also provide emotional support. Many people are surprised at the strong emotions they feel when they survey the damage to their property. Take a break if you need to, if everything feels overwhelming.
Draft an Inventory of Damaged Items
Ideally, you will have drafted an inventory of items in your home months ago, before a storm. If you have one, then you can go down through and identify which items were damaged.
Unfortunately, few people have created an inventory until tragedy strikes. That’s okay. Roll up your sleeves and get busy. We recommend that you do the following:
- Choose a method, like paper, a computer spreadsheet, or an app on your phone. Pick whatever feels comfortable.
- Identify an item when it is damaged by make and mode. Include any available serial number, also.
- Describe the damage. Waterlogged? Smashed to bits? Burnt up after a power surge? You should have taken a picture, but you can describe damage generally on the inventory, also.
- Estimate the value of the item before damage. Your stove could be 20 years old. It’s not realistic to assign a value as if it is new. Discount for wear and tear. If you don’t know the value, then look online to see how much comparable items have sold for.
A solid, detailed inventory makes submitting a claim much easier.
Save Damaged Items, if Possible
It’s always helpful to have preserved damaged items for the insurance adjuster to look at. You might put them in your garage (if it is still standing), or you could put them in a dumpster, provided a waste management company doesn’t haul off the dumpster before a claims adjuster arrives.
Sometimes it’s not possible for health and safety reasons to keep damaged items around, such as waterlogged items. That’s okay. But it is generally helpful if you have at least samples to show the insurance adjuster. For example, water-logged dryboard samples can give the adjuster some sense of the damage.
What to Claim on Insurance After a Hurricane?
What you claim will depend on your policy. Your homeowner’s insurance should cover windstorm damage caused by a hurricane. That means damage to your roof or walls caused by high winds, like a tree falling against the house or the roof blown off. Flood damage is not covered by homeowner’s insurance. You would need a separate flood insurance policy.
Each insurance policy is different, so take out your copy and see what is covered. One option is to simply submit everything and wait to see if your insurer approves or rejects a claim. But that method might not work, because you might not know whether a denial of coverage is legitimate.
You can work with a lawyer who can help you pull together a claim. Our lawyers know how to read a homeowner’s insurance policy. A lawyer will identify what is covered and isn’t, streamlining the claims process.
Speak with a Hurricane Damage Claim Lawyer Today
Insurance Claim HQ provides legal representation in New Orleans to those who suffered damage in a storm. Hurricanes are only increasing in frequency in the Gulf, and more homeowners will need to make a claim on their policies when a storm makes landfall and damages their homes. You should receive what you are owed. Call us to schedule a meeting.
