There is no questioning the devastation that a hurricane can bring.  Hurricane Sally brought severe winds, flooding, wind driven rain, tornadoes and widespread power outages. And as we have learned, even the slightest hurricane can cause massive damage. This storm season is no different with storms incurring property insurance claims well outside their main core. Condominiums along the coast have seen some of the worst damage. As condo associations and their unit holders interact with the insurance company, things can quickly change and the stories that unfold can be heartbreaking. 

Such is the case here in a well-documented article Surviving Waves of Adversity from The Florida Community Association Journal regarding a 30-story condominium building on Daytona Beach that was hit by Hurricane Matthew on October 7, 2016.  In this case, all the stars were aligned pre-storm and post-storm, however this particular insurance company did not fulfill their end of the bargain causing owners to be displaced for years, missing rental income opportunities and many required to deal with their own insurance carriers directly. To add insult to injury, 27 of the 100 owners were denied coverage on the basis that it was "wind-driven rain" and therefore were not afforded coverage.  Thankfully, the association had some very smart people working hard and left no stone unturned to assist folks in their desperate time of need. Eventually, those 27-unit owner’s denials were overturned, but the Master Association was still dealing with the aftermath of the storm and insurance claim process more than one (1) year later!  

So for those condominium and homeowner associations affected by Hurricane Sally, and especially unit owners who have complicated claim issues, let this story be your wake-up call because what you have been promised today may quickly change tomorrow. Beware of the once friendly insurance companies who made a promise to stand by your side as they collected their insurance premiums and begin to test the waters with their delay tactics and settlement offers.  

Unfortunately, we still see association boards and their property managers trying to manage the claim with little knowledge of what they are getting themselves into, only having to hire attorneys to untangle the claims mess months later. Some see the red flag and quickly learn of the concept when their insurance company tells them not to hire a Public Adjuster, (as we are seeing with recent storms). So they quickly do their research and learn the potential for having their own claim advocate to document their claim and negotiate their claim settlement.

Tutwiler & Associates is happy to participate at no cost in a Q&A webinar for your community HOA, Condo or business group. As always, the professional public insurance adjusters at Tutwiler and Associates are here to help with any property insurance related questions you may have. Please visit our Hurricane Sally web page to submit a question to one of our public adjuster insurance claim experts.

Tutwiler & Associates have been working hurricane claims since 1984. For your own peace of mind, call our Pensacola insurance adjusters now at 850-783-3319 for a free, no-cost claim evaluation, visit our Hurricane Sally Insurance Claim Public Adjuster page for additional information or contact a public adjuster to submit a question to one of our insurance claim experts.