Q. My insurance company’s adjuster is saying that they don't pay for "cosmetic damage". After many conversations with him and the contractor, he finally admitted some hail damage but estimated almost exactly the amount of my deductible, $1,000. The contractor I hired is very reputable and had all kinds of chalk marks on my roof which the adjuster dismissed as "cosmetic." I tried to get my agent involved and he said the same thing about cosmetic damage. I really don't want to let this go. There are about 20 houses in my neighborhood getting work done due to the golf ball sized hail damage. Please let me know if I have any options.

In Nashville, scenes of absolute devastation still remain as if the March 3, 2020 tornadoes sliced through just yesterday. Several tornadoes were reported during the March 3^rd storm with three consisting of an EF-2, EF-3, and one large EF-4 wedge tornado that carved the largest swath of destruction throughout the Music City and surrounding areas nearly 3-months ago. Adding to the misery, the Chattanooga  - East Brainard area suffered a devastating tornado barrage on Easter Sunday as 7 tornadoes were reported to have touched down in the Tennessee Valley. The fury began around 8:15 pm and then at 11:19 pm, an EF-3 tornado with estimated wind speeds up to 145 mph touched down staying on the ground for 14 minutes.

Many folks throughout the State of Tennessee are still dealing with the devastating effects of the recent tornado and hail damage.  They will soon learn that that the amount(s) offered and paid by their respective insurance companies are not sufficient to pay for their complete loss and damage repairs. Specifically, as the demand for qualified construction workers, roofers, and building materials increase so do the associated costs.  This “supply and demand effect” will undoubtedly continue to impact those who sustained tornado/hail damage in a negative way for some time.

The tornado in Nashville has caused major destruction and significantly impacted business & residential property owners. Our teams are actively engaged with property & business owners, working to help aid in the recovery claims process and are here to help you realize a fair settlement under your policy to help you recover and get your business and life back on its feet. Whenever major storm events like this occur a common question we get from callers is to explain what a Public Adjuster does and why they should hire one. Many callers have never had to deal with a property claim before and frankly have not heard of Public Adjusters. To avoid having our readers searching the web for these answers and hopefully the hype, I’ve placed the information we try to relay below.

If your home was destroyed or severely damaged from the recent Nashville area tornadoes to the extent that it is uninhabitable for you or your family to live, your insurance policy may provide a coverage called “Additional Living Expense” or “A.L.E.” Under the Additional Living Expense coverage, you and your family may be entitled to rent another home of the same size, like kind and quality as well as be reimbursed for any extra expenses you may incur such as food and temporary lodging.  Please keep in mind that this coverage is based on what you “incur” meaning you have to spend the money first before your insurance company will reimburse you. This is why you need to keep receipts for all transactions or keep all of your transactions on one credit card so you can easily print your statement out for your adjuster.

The Nashville area tornadoes have clearly left many homeowners, businesses, schools, cities and government buildings with significant damage and Tennesseans need to understand some of the basic insurance claim adjusting procedures that will play an important role to achieve a fair, expeditious and maximum claim settlement. Insurance companies and their teams of catastrophe adjusters may be delayed in gaining access to the region due to government emergency restrictions and given the significant damage sustained at the John C. Tune Airport in West Nashville. The Airport Authority estimated loss and damages to the infrastructure and other buildings is $93 million alone. Here are some tips and common mistakes to avoid while preparing yourself for the insurance claim process.

In 2011, investigative reporter, Ms. Paige St. John of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune won a Pulitzer Prize for her investigative reporting that produced multiple news articles examining Florida’s murky property insurance system vital to Florida’s property owners.  Ms. St. John provided helpful data for consumers to evaluate their insurance company’s (and the industry) reliability, sustainability, and ultimately uncovered how State regulators and insurance company lobbyists oftentimes put the best interests of Florida’s insurance consumers at risk, while at the same time “big insurance” continues to roll the dice and gamble to cash in.  This is a recurring theme that takes place at the same time each year as politicians report to Tallahassee, FL to fulfill their promises while seemingly ignoring their obligations.

This year, the mayhem began on January 7, 2020 when Florida’s Senate Banking and Insurance Committee introduced legislation via House Bill (HB 1137) that is “all about consumer protection.”  The proposed language written in the Bill is being championed by Florida CFO, Mr. Jimmy Patronis who is a native Floridian born and raised in Panama City where Hurricane Michael roared ashore in October 2018.

Thank you to Public Adjuster Mike Stabile for contributing this update on Hurricane Dorian recovery. It’s been over 3 months since Hurricane Dorian made its unprecedented and devastating landfall in the Bahamas catastrophically damaging Great Abaco, its barrier islands and Grand Bahama. The reports from our Public Insurance Adjusters who have visited the area multiple times is that damage recovery is challenged and moving slowly. Property damage aside, many have lost their lives. In speaking with the residents, the current “official death toll” is nowhere near what they believe the actual number will be, which could be in the thousands. Our thoughts are with the families still searching for their loved ones.

Our adjusters are on the ground in the Bahamas helping clients with damage from Hurricane Dorian start the insurance claims process. The devastation shows the power of Mother Nature but the Bahamian people are strong in spirit and will recover. Don't forget, humanitarian help will be needed for some time.

The unimaginable destruction of property and loss of life on Grand Bahama Island and the Marsh Harbor community is heart- wrenching to say the least. I have seen a lot of the destruction and the human misery that follows in the aftermath of hurricanes and other disasters in my 45-year career as an insurance professional and public adjuster, but the videos and now live reporting coming out of the Bahamas is simply unprecedented.