A historic deep freeze is gripping the US with sub-zero temperatures and even more serious wind chill factors. With it will come unprecedented frozen pipe bursts, iced dams and roof collapses that will cause extensive property damage and loss to personal property or business inventory.  As for homeowners, if you discover a leak, turn your water off, call in a reputable plumber, inform your insurance company of the damage and get their agreement to fix and pay for the damage before hiring a reputable clean-up company.    

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A recent article, Boston Area Expects a Flood of Claims After Record Winter points to the growing recognition that some property owners are in for a fight when it comes to obtaining a fair settlement for their winter storm damage insurance claim. As one homeowner from Plymouth, Mass. put it, “It’s a part time job just trying to navigate it all.” As you will read in the article, too many people “hope” they will get a fair offer from their insurance company. Our general advice is that while working with your insurance company, remember that this is your claim. So don’t rely on the insurance company alone to tell you how much they will pay. Make sure you get independent estimates from contractors to confirm what it will take to fix the damage.

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As public adjusters, we continue to assist policyholders with property insurance claims after severe winter storms like we have experienced in Boston, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and other markets this winter. Roof collapse, ice dams, frozen pipes, water damage and yes even wind damage will be common occurrences. We’ve compiled some of the most commonly asked questions we get after these types of events and offer them below to help homeowners and businesses recover if they have a claim. Got a property insurance claim question? Send it to us or see our winter storm adjuster page. 

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An online poll published in the Boston Globe on Saturday, showed over 70% of Bostonians are rooting to break the record snow fall of 107.6 inches. To date, they are only 2 inches shy. Who would have guessed that with all the misery from snow, ice and freezing temperatures, that folks in Boston would be in the majority and want those extra few inches to best a 124-year National Weather Service record? 

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As I write this, I am sitting in LaGuardia airport waiting for a flight back to Florida.  I was called up to New York to meet with a prospective client who owns a building in Manhattan that has suffered structural damage due to a new building being constructed next door.   Florida’s tourism boom this year is apparent in New York; snow, ice, then freezing rain and back to snow with 6-8 inches predicted for the five boroughs of NYC.  Other parts of the country are predicted to get even more snow, then freezing temps. Clearly, northerners are flocking to Florida in droves trying to escape the brutal winter especially in the northeast. 

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With New England and now the eastern United States in a deep freeze from record snow and ice accumulation, remember the old saying, it’s the darkest before the dawn.  Yes, there will be a spring and it’s just around the corner according to the Old Farmers Almanac. Spring, also called the vernal equinox comes in the Northern Hemisphere on March 20^th at 6:45pm to be exact. This shouldn’t minimize the extensive property damage being caused this winter as this excellent article on Ice Dams discusses. Many of our staff are gearing up to head north in order to help current clients and work with our public adjuster partners.

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While it seems most of the New York and New Jersey areas escaped major damage from the blizzard, folks in New England weren’t so lucky. We’re seeing reports of major flooding, coastal property damage, frozen pipe bursts and roof collapses from all the heavy snow will continue.  A couple of good articles that were just published Policyholders would be wise to read the articles below that were just published and offer tips on how to better navigate the insurance claims process. 
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Listening to the weather wonks, it sure looks like Winter Storm Juno may be one for the record books. It may also be a notable one for the insurance industry with all the expected claims from water losses due to frozen pipe breaks, collapsed roofs due to heavy snow loads, and most unfortunately fires from faulty heating appliances and improper use of space heaters. Policyholders in New England, New York and New Jersey need to take notice.
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Given the serious ice conditions hitting the Houston area and the frozen Northeast, we want to thank roofing expert Mr. Andrew Smith, Director of Field Operations at Roof Leak Detection Co. for contributing this very good explanation of ice dams and the resulting roof leaks and water damage it can cause. The damage this causes is a long-term issue for policyholders as the damage you incur this winter can show up during summer windstorms. These losses can become complicated insurance claims that require the policyholder to prove the cause of loss when water infiltrates the interior of the home.

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