I was happy to contribute to this interview regarding Hurricane Florence insurance claims. We already have an adjuster team in North Carolina and have opened an office in Wilmington, NC. We already know many home and business owners are dealing with serious losses and will need to file a property or flood claim.  Some are telling us they may not see an adjuster for weeks! There are a number of steps property owners need to take in the immediate aftermath of a storm to avoid insurance claim settlement problems. Many mistakes related to filing insurance claims occur immediately following the storm. And there are also some safety issues that need to be considered before folks start mitigating their loss. It’s also important for the policyholder to understand their insurance policy responsibilities and properly document their claim.

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.

Hopefully folks in the Mid-Atlantic will survive this storm’s wrath with very minimal loss of life or injury, but even one death or serious injury is one to many. And remember serious injuries and death are not limited to the height of a storm. In fact, state and local officials are warning the communities affected, that rising water, flash flooding, storm debris, downed power lines, and wildlife of all sorts are on the move.

The catastrophic flood event expected from Hurricane Florence with widespread flooding on the Virginia, North and South Carolina coasts is bringing back bad memories from the debacle we went thru with Superstorm Sandy. For those who have flood insurance, we encourage you to review and pay close attention to your flood policy’s terms and conditions. The policies issued by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) are unique because they fall under a Federal Government program with its own rules and regulations. Keep in mind that many private insurance companies resell and administer the NFIP policies.  So make sure you confirm if your flood policy falls under this program.

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.

Congratulations to our Pittsburgh Public Adjuster Zach Flora who recently teamed up with WPIX 11 Cares Pack the Bus initiative to donate school supplies for an entire classroom in support of the education system in Robinson Township, Allegheny County. Zach is a great example that shows giving back means more than just helping property owners with their insurance claims. Zach is an ardent supporter of education excellence and is also a product of the local school system. 

Expert Public Adjuster Dick Tutwiler explains the importance of understanding the difference between flood and water damage property insurance claims.  What to do if you have both wind and water damage. What you need to know about flood insurance to avoid claim delays.