If the feedback we are getting on the ground in Panama City and the inquiries coming into our offices are any guide, policyholders are none too happy with the settlement offers they are receiving for their Hurricane Michael property damage claims. Most often we are told the offer does not remotely cover the cost of repairs based on estimates local contractors are providing.

If your Florida home was severely damaged by Hurricane Michael to the extent that it is uninhabitable to live in, most insurance policies provide a coverage called “Additional Living Expense” or “A.L.E.” if it is a covered loss. 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 incur such as food and temporary lodging.

Based on damage reports from our public adjuster staff who have set up an office in Panama City, there is no doubt this event will create insurance claim disputes unlike we’ve seen before. But first we want to commend the continued brave activities of the first responders and quick activities of the city officials. To deal with these perils it behooves property owners to keep their eye on the ball or in this case the money. High percentage hurricane deductibles are being applied and many folks may be surprised that despite their wind or hurricane coverage, they may be out of pocket for mitigation and replacement costs.

Many people might be surprised that having an adjuster look at your claim is only the beginning of the insurance claim process. Remember, the field adjuster that inspected your property may not be an employee of the insurance company. They are typically independent adjusters on contract and typically are paid a set fee or percentage for each claim they handle. This is especially true during disaster situations Like Hurricane Florence when there are so many claims to adjust. Typically, there is a shortage of qualified and they are hard pressed to get to as many claims as possible. You should ask them what firm they are with when they come to inspect your property and note how thorough they are recording your damage and if they are “listening” to you. 

Based on the volume of phone calls coming into our offices, North and South Carolina business and homeowners are quickly turning their attention to recovering from Hurricane Florence. With widespread flooding and property damage, property owners unfamiliar with the process will be filing an insurance claim for the first time and possibly seeking assistance and advice for their property insurance damage claim. One of the most common questions we receive when calls come into our offices revolves around the benefits of hiring a public insurance adjuster. It still amazes us that so many policyholders have not heard of our profession or understand what public adjusters do. So, in an attempt to educate and not blow our own horn, I’ll try to answer that question in hopes of giving readers a basic understanding of what public adjusters do and the critical role they can play in the insurance claims process.

Due to the widespread, wind, flood and water damage caused by Hurricane Florence, there is likely to be a shortage of insurance adjusters to handle the volume of claims that will be reported to both the government (FEMA) and the private sector insurance carriers. For those of us in the business, we see it after every major storm. The rush to get damages assessed, by insurance company adjusters and the many inexperienced contractors eyeballing damages, will create impediments to solving policyholder claims.

Insurance payments to North and South Carolina policyholders with flood damage will depend on the policies they purchased, the language in each policy and the law of each state. Nothing is simple in property insurance adjusting. Hurricane Florence may be a textbook example of some of the issues that may have to be sorted out before there is a discussion about the actual adjustment and payment of a hurricane claim.

Our hearts go out to all the folks in Virginia, North and South Carolina affected by Hurricane Florence and the brave first responders risking their safety to assist others. Based on damage reports and our own public adjuster staff who are monitoring the situation, there is no doubt this event will rival Harvey and create insurance claim disputes unlike we’ve seen before. And if property damage wasn’t enough, the loss of power added misery to the mix. To deal with these perils it behooves property owners to keep their eye on the ball or in this case the money. High percentage hurricane deductibles are being applied and many folks may be surprised that despite their wind or hurricane coverage, they may be out of pocket for mitigation and replacement costs due to lack of flood coverage or exclusions for water - sewer back-up.

As the catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Florence unfolds, thousands of businesses and homeowners who never considered the possibility of dealing with flood damage will be investigating the claim process. We will be sending a team of adjusters to the Carolinas when authorities say it is safe to enter. So in order to offer assistance to our readers, I asked my talented staff of public adjusters to share some of the best tips they could think of for handling a flood claim. The following are some claim tips that hopefully will help folks should they have flood coverage or even windstorm damage.

Will Hurricane Florence become the Hurricane Harvey flooding event of the east coast? While the weather experts debate that issue, there is no doubt one way or another that Hurricane Florence is about to unleash a lot of misery on the mid Atlantic coast. Back in September 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston South Carolina and downtown buildings had 16 plus feet of water. Myrtle Beach just north of Charleston is now a very large tourist resort community and will have major damage if Florence keeps on its current track.