All you need to know about filing an insurance claim following a hurricane

Hurricanes are natural calamities that cause a good deal of damage to life and property. They have a devastating effect on human beings at large. For both homes as well as business owners, a hurricane can be a cause of a disaster. To overcome losses, you must opt for insurance claims. However, the process of filing an insurance claim is not a very easy one. It requires a proper strategy and planning to go about the process smoothly.

Make a note of the following points for your benefit

• Prepare a list of the damaged property: You must primarily make a proper inventory of your business or home that stays affected. A hurricane insurance claim attorney will advise you to take a piece of paper and note down which part of the property is damaged. You can also make a list of the valuables that are damaged. The valuables may include a car, television, furniture, home appliances, and the like. Also, take pictures and mechanical videos of the damaged aspect of the property. The visual record can help you in the insurance claim process.
• Checking the insurance policy: you should have proper knowledge of the insurance policy you had made earlier. Try to look at the scope of the coverage of the concerned policy. There are a few things which you should keep in mind in this regard. A specific type, of course, does not cover all types of damages. The homeowner’s insurance has the scope of protecting the damages that are caused by a falling tree. However, it is very tricky to cover damages caused by floods or hurricanes. Many policies differentiate between the cracks. There are two categories of injuries according to these policies, namely, hurricane damage and flood damage.

The hurricane damage will include damages to windows, satellite dishes, and much such debris. However, flood damage does not get covered by these policies. As a policyholder, you will have to read clause by clause to get property information regarding the procedure. The policy declaration page will give you the correct information regarding the coverage of the system. Different auto policies cover the damages done to your car by water or falling tree. If you have comprehensive insurance, then it can help you to cover all the expenses.

• Do not clean too much: after a natural calamity, it is human nature to clean and repair the property. However, the insurance adjuster needs to see the real situation of the damage. In this condition, making any repair or cleaning can drastically affect the claim you make. However, you can go for temporary repairs only after taking pictures of the initial condition. You must show the real image of the damage so that you can quickly get the claim.

Finally, do remember before submitting your claim for the insurance, there is a good deal of homework you must undertake. Remember that the petition differs from person to person. You will thus have to make your case seem immediate and severe on the first go.

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Sujain Thomas is a freelance content writer and blogger who has written articles for several renowned blogs and websites about various uses of social media to engineer more business traffic on business websites.