Floods, Water Losses and Money

Floods, Water Losses and Money

There were a number of articles over the course of the last few weeks that focused my attention back to the water peril.  Spring storms in the middle section of the country with the severe floods that always seem to follow; global warming issues being reported almost daily with the threat of rising sea levels; and then this recent article, Flood recovery meeting set in White Sulphur Springs  from The Herald-Dispatch in West Virginia, that announced meetings with various officials to try and provide updates to the folks in southern West Virginia who were affected by last year’s floods in the mountain state. 


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Is Your Hurricane Matthew Mold Insurance Claim Covered?

Is Your Hurricane Matthew Mold Insurance Claim Covered?
Those who experienced any type of water intrusion from Hurricane Matthew rain and flooding may experience mold infiltration. When claims are delayed and repairs put on hold, it can become a real problem as mold can grow unseen for months and create a serious health hazard. In the past, mold damage claims were covered under most property insurance policies when it resulted from a covered peril, such as a sudden plumbing leak, fire control, storm or other cause covered under your policy. However, some insurance carriers have been removing or scaling back mold coverage from their policy forms regardless if it results from a covered peril. In some instances, the insurance companies offer limited coverage for mold and fungus for an additional premium payment. 
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Public Adjuster Offers Insurance Claim Advice to West Virginia Flood Victims

Public Adjuster Offers Insurance Claim Advice to West Virginia Flood Victims

Anticipating the 100 year flood event that occurred in my native southern West Virginia was the last thing on my mind when I wrote and published my recent blog Troubled Waters – Insurance Claims Under Attack, about the “Troubled Water Claims” phenomena we are currently experiencing in Florida. But given the fact that Florida’s water problems and West Virginia’s terrible flooding disaster have one common denominator - water, I thought it would be helpful and hopefully educational to distinguish a flood event versus a water loss since these terms are often misused in the property insurance world. In addition, for those who do have flood insurance, we want to share some knowledge and information in the form of tips from my firm’s extensive experience in water/flood losses including our most recent work handling Super Storm Sandy flood claims in New York.


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South Carolina Flooding – Policyholder Questions Part III

Here is our 3rd and final installment of questions we are fielding from the flooding in the Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina.  Hopefully we can help others seeking similar answers with flood insurance claims issues.

Q.  How much drywall damage will my flood insurance pay for? 
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South Carolina Flooding – Policyholder Questions Part II

South Carolina Flooding – Policyholder Questions Part II

Here is our 2nd installment of questions we are fielding from the flooding in the Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina.  Hopefully we can help others seeking similar answers with flood insurance claims issues.

Q.  My lower cabinets were damaged by the flood waters.  Does my flood insurance pay to match them and pay for my upper cabinets? 


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South Carolina Flooding – Policyholder Questions Part I

Whenever there is a severe storm like the flooding in the Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina area our inbox gets inundated with questions from policyholders who are entering the insurance claims world for the first time and are seeking answers on how to recover from their damage. Over the next week we’ll publish some of the more popular questions with hopes that we can help others seeking similar answers. 

Q.  What does the NFIP flood policy require me to do after I report my claim.
 

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South Carolina Flooding - Causation will become a key issue for insurance claims

South Carolina Flooding - Causation will become a key issue for insurance claims

While some media outlets are reporting that water is starting to subside in some of the hard hit areas of Columbia and Charleston, others are reporting on the dam failures that could compound matters and make things much worse.  If some of the media reports are correct, many of the good folks in South Carolina may be in for nasty surprises when they call their insurance agent or 800 numbers listed on their property insurance policies to file an insurance claim. As an example, Ben Berkowitz a reporter from CNBC posted South Carolina flood losses $1 billion and rising, about the damages and lack of homeowner flood insurance. 


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The New Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

The New Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Well, maybe not new, but things are changing and we have seen this coming for some time. In our last blog Tampa Bay Residents Wait on FEMA we noted that staff from FEMA were in the area to inspect the flooding that resulted from three weeks of intense rain. Attempting not to jinx the process, I held off offering my opinion on the likely outcome of the FEMA inspection. But now we know FEMA has turned down requests from State and local officials to provide financial assistance to homeowners and businesses damaged due to the flooding.


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Tampa Flood Victims Need to Understand the Nuances of Flood Insurance

Tampa Flood Victims Need to Understand the Nuances of Flood Insurance

For those who do 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. As an example, the NFIP policy requires you to file a proof-of-loss within 60 days of the flood event. In layman terms, you must have figured out your loss and arrived at a sum certain amount to put on a document called a “proof of loss” and have it submitted to the appropriate person handling your claim. Unless this time period (60 Days) is waived by an authorized official of FEMA/NFIP (as was the case with Superstorm Sandy) the claim may be denied in total for failure to comply with the policy terms and conditions. 


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Ten Insurance Claim Mistakes Tampa Bay Flood Victims Should Avoid

Ten Insurance Claim Mistakes Tampa Bay Flood Victims Should Avoid
The no name storm in Tampa has caused widespread water and flood damage in the St. Petersburg and Tampa area. Now that cleanup has begun, many residential and commercial policyholders will submit either a flood (if you have flood insurance) or water damage insurance claim. Make sure you understand the difference between the two before you file. The public adjusters at Tutwiler & Associates urge policyholders to take the proper steps to protect their claim and avoid settlement problems with the following 10 tips.
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"On Property" Insurance Claim Tips Blog

Tips and advice about how to properly file and protect your property damage insurance claim and get a fair settlement. We invite all readers to ask questions about their claim so our public adjusters can post answers for others to benefit. Insurance claim expert guest bloggers welcome to submit posts via our contact form.

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Local Office

Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters, Inc.
Licensed Public Insurance Adjusters & Loss Consultants
Offices: Tampa, Orlando, Palm City, Ft. Myers, Florida; Dallas, TX; Pittsburgh, PA

Executive Office
4300 W. Cypress St.
Suite 780
Tampa, FL 33607
Phone: 813.287.8090
Toll Free: 800.321.4488

Licensed in Florida # W840088 &
Texas #1399706 plus 16 other states
and the Virgin Islands