Written by: Mitchell Panter • July 6, 2017• Legally Speaking

Homeowner Preparedness During Storm Season

Every year on June 1, we enter a new storm season. This means that if you haven’t already, you should actively prepare your family and home for the worst, as a hurricane can make landfall here at any time. As a homeowner living in the area, you are probably well versed in the issues that arise with homeowners insurance in the case of an incident such as a bad storm or flooding. With rising sea levels and flash flooding a possibility at any time, it’s vitally important to the preservation of your home to be prepared for a storm of any kind, but to also understand how your homeowners insurance policy may or may not protect you and your belongings. Of course, you should take precautions like sandbagging and getting tree removal denton if you’re worried that some of the trees on your property could fall in high winds and cause damage, but you can’t stop everything that’s thrown at you so you need to ensure your insurance covers you. You never know what’s going to happen to your house during a storm, so you need to make sure that you are covered for as much as you can. It’s also a good idea to have a few numbers saved on your phone for people who can easily and quickly help you if your house is damaged during the storm. For example, if you have a flat roof on your house and you want to make sure that you can get it repaired if any damage is done, then make sure to have the number of flat roofing specialists who can help you if an issue occurs.

Preparing Your Family for the Storm

It’s always a good plan to have all of your personal supplies ready to go as hurricane season begins. Even with all the modern technology we have, Mother Nature can be unpredictable and a hurricane can change course at any time. Make sure that you and your family are ready for storm season by having enough fresh water, batteries, canned food, and flashlights for a few days following a storm. Also make sure that as a storm approaches, you have enough gas in your car and that all of your necessary electronics are fully charged. Review your emergency plan with friends and family so that everyone is comfortable with their role if communication is difficult after a storm. The safety of your family is the most important thing to consider during storm season.

Home Preparation

In addition to preparing your family for a storm, you also need to make sure that your home is protected in the event of not only a hurricane, but also for severe storms that may cause flooding and other damage. Storm-resistant doors or windows can be fitted by a Milwaukee Storm Door Installation professional to help protect the exterior of your home. In addition, a sump pump fitted in the basement can help mitigate flood damage. Though not applicable for every home, those in areas that are particularly prone to strong winds and hurricanes may benefit from a storm-resistant metal roof. In the time leading up to storm, review any weak spots in the home for potential reinforcement or barricades to help protect them.

Homeowners Insurance Preparation

One of the ways that you can prepare your home is by ensuring that your homeowners’ insurance is up-to-date. With addition to homeowners insurance, you need to keep track of any home repairs that you may need for your house after the storm has passed. This could help your insurance company calculate how much you need for repairs, and it can also help if you need to get in touch with a particular service. For instance, depending on the storm’s severity, you might find that you need roofing repair or tree removal. You might even find that you require a local service similar to this Garage Door Repair Calgary company, as well as other repairs services that you might need your insurance to cover.

Don’t wait until a storm threatens your home to think about your insurance coverage. Act now. Once a threatening storm forms in the Atlantic, insurance carriers can stop selling or updated policies at any time. Here are some steps you can take to make sure you are getting the most from your homeowners insurance policy.

Review your policy regularly and make sure you know what’s covered.
Be sure to understand required reporting and response times and other requirements after the damage has occurred.
Take photos and video of your property before the storm and after any damage.
Make an inventory of your personal belonging, preferably with photographs, for documentation in the event of a loss.
Save photos, video, personal belonging inventory, and important documents in the cloud if you have access to online file storage.
Secure important documents as well as the photos and videos in waterproof containers.
In the event of property damage or a loss, speak with an attorney before speaking with your insurance company.

Our property damage claim attorneys represent residential and commercial property owners in all types of insurance claims, including those from storm damage. It is important to know that you can trust your insurance carrier to provide you the coverage you have been paying for. Unfortunately, most insurance companies will not simply pay fair value on a claim, especially if it is a significant, high-dollar property damage claim. In many cases, property owners need to take legal action to recover their losses and ensure that their insurance carriers comply with the terms of the insurance contract.

Storm preparation is not something to take lightly. As we enter another hurricane season, please take a moment to ensure that both your family and your home are protected in the event of a storm. Review your supplies and your homeowners insurance policy to make sure that you are fully prepared and protected.

Mitchell J. Panter is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer by the Florida Bar and National Board of Trial Advocacy, primarily practicing in the areas of Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Product Liability, Sexual Assault, Food Contamination and Premises Liability Cases. You can reach Mitchell at mpanter@panterlaw.com or 305 662-6178. You can also visit the office at 6950 N Kendall Dr., Miami, FL 33156.

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