Tips for Your Hurricane Ida Damage Insurance Claim

Filing a Louisiana Insurance Claim for Hurricane Damage

After experiencing the terror and chaos of a hurricane, I know as both a Louisiana hurricane insurance claim lawyer and personally as someone who has had their home and business seriously damaged by a storm, there are many things that you must immediately address.

It can be confusing to figure out how to prioritize the steps to take in such a terrible situation.

Once the storm has passed, your priority is likely taking care of property damage.

If you own insured property that has been destroyed, you will need to inform your insurance company of the damages to file a claim.

To make a Hurricane Ida damages claim, your property has to fall into one of the following categories:

• The property must have some sort of damage;
• The property and contents must be damaged from rain, wind, fire or water;
• The property must be the site of a robbery or theft; or
• Debris removal must have caused some sort of damage to the property; and
• YOU MUST HAVE INSURANCE COVERING THE PROPERTY!

Tips For Filing Your Louisiana Hurricane Insurance Claim

Here are some tips for those who have damage (as most of us unfortunately do)

• Call your insurance company to make a claim now. Even if you’re not home yet. Get a claim number as soon as possible to get the ball rolling. They have 60 days after you call to initiate loss adjustment and many insurance companies will approve an immediate smaller initial payment to help cover your expenses.
• Many local insurance agent offices are damaged and/or without means of communication. You should bypass the local office and call the insurance company directly or file a claim online on their website.
• Review your policy and its coverage. All policies are different with different deductibles and different terms for things such as loss of use and additional living expenses. Your neighbor’s policy may be completely different from your own.
• Save all receipts including hotels, food, gas, supplies, and all other expenses you incur while away from your home.
• Take pictures and document everything! Take pictures of your roof, inside your attic, outside structures, and any and all interior damage. Take pictures of any food in your fridge or freezer before emptying it. Take a close-up picture of each damaged item, but also a full room picture.
• Videos may be helpful to you later, but will not be accepted by most insurance companies. So make sure you have pictures of everything.
• You have a duty to mitigate any further damage with temporary fixes, if possible for you to do so. Including tarping the roof, removing the carpet and any items that may mold, boarding broken windows, etc. But as stated above, make sure to take pictures first and save all receipts and invoices.
• Do not make any permanent repairs until after the insurance adjuster has come to inspect your home.
• Do not throw anything (electronics, furniture, etc) away until the insurance adjuster has come.
• If your insurance company has a website where you can upload pictures and invoices, do so. This can help speed the process along.
• If your vehicle was damaged, you will need to file a separate claim under your comprehensive auto insurance.
• Document every conversation, meeting, inspection, and interaction with the insurance adjuster. Write down their name, the date and time, and a summary of the call/meeting including anything that was agreed upon and any documentation that was provided. Follow-up with an email to the adjuster detailing these points. In Louisiana, you do have the right to record all phone calls with the insurance company.
• Get repair estimates from licensed and insured contractors in writing but do not make any permanent repairs until authorized to do so by the insurance company.
• Never pay a contractor over 50% upfront for any work and pay by credit card whenever possible. Demand will be high and supply will be low, but do as much research on contractors as possible before hiring one. Make sure that anyone you hire is licensed and insured.
• Register for FEMA disaster assistance at https://www.disasterassistance.gov Your application may originally be denied, but it will remain active when/if more assistance becomes available and may be able to provide benefits for damage not covered by your insurance. You will need to provide them with documentation of any denials from the insurance company.

Louisiana law has strict timing that your insurance company must follow.

You may not need an insurance claim lawyer, but you do need to know your rights.

If your insurance company is dragging things out or not making you whole, contact us.

Overall, it can be very helpful to have a home insurance claim attorney to assist you through the process of appraising and negotiating your homeowner’s or flood insurance claim.

A hurricane insurance claim lawyer who is experienced with claims of this nature is able to take the insurance company to court if they have not lived up to their obligations or if they are not fully and fairly compensating you for your Hurricane Ida flood or homeowner’s damages.

The best thing to do is to take this process step by step. Do a little at a time and don’t let it become overwhelming. Take care of yourself as much as possible and please stay safe.

We’re in this together.