November 5, 2024

After the Hurricane: Post-disaster Recovery

Questions about insurance claims should not add to the post-hurricane stress.

Summary

After a hurricane, it’s important for clients to be prepared. Documenting and photographing damage can help expedite the claims process.
Make sure your insurance and risk advisor are involved before signing or entering into any rebuilding contractor agreements or contracts.
MMA PCS has a dedicated claims advocacy team that can help with your current disaster claims and work with you to mitigate future risks.

When hurricanes occur, the aftermath is a difficult time for many homeowners. Hurricanes can cause extensive damage, making up eight of the top eleven costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.¹ Coping with loss and questions about insurance claims can add to the stress many feel following a hurricane.

Every claim is different, but clients often have similar concerns about what they can expect from their risk advisor and insurers. You might be asking:

When will my adjuster call me? Usually, insurance adjusters contact claimants within 24 to 48 hours after the claim is reported. After a large-scale catastrophe, such as the recent Hurricanes Helene and Milton, this timeline may lengthen as insurance companies respond to high volumes of claims.

Will my loss be covered? Coverage determinations are made by your insurance company. To determine coverage, an adjuster from the insurer will investigate the cause of loss and the severity of damage. Typically, this process is completed promptly, but it can take longer due to lack of access to disaster-affected areas and the complexity of the loss.

What should I do next? Once it is safe to do so, you should start to document your loss with photos showing the damage to your property. Local authorities may restrict access to damaged and flooded areas out of concern for public safety. You should not worry if it takes several days or longer before you can document property damage.

Hurricane Ian: Client Advocacy

A client’s residence, built prior to current code and base flood elevation requirements, suffered severe foundation issues, including significant erosion and structural damage.
A discrepancy arose between the adjuster and contractor estimates when the reconstruction quote was based on the existing structure and did not include the costs of meeting the current codes and requirements.
MMA PCS claims advocacy facilitated a collaborative effort among building contractors, underwriters, local city building inspectors/code enforcers, and the client. This collaboration resulted in a more favorable repair estimate and claim settlement for the client.

Tips on recovery

Contacting your insurance and risk advisor is a prudent step after you become aware of hurricane damage. In addition, you should consider the following tips to make the process of repairing and rebuilding smoother.

Documentation. Taking photos that show the damage before remediation and compiling receipts are helpful in the claims adjustment process. Some tips on documentation after a hurricane include:

Focus on general property conditions, flood lines, trees on structures, areas where water intrusion occurred, vehicle damage, and personal property and specialty items (such as collector autos, fine art, etc.) damage. This will be especially helpful if there is both flood and wind damage.
Request documentation from your remediation vendors. Keep receipts related to any cleanup efforts, additional living expenses, and other damage-related expenses.

Rebuilding. You should keep several considerations in mind when working with contractors to repair property damage or rebuild following a hurricane:

Request multiple detailed estimates from reputable, professional contractors for the same services. Estimates should include references and examples of their work.
Contractors should be appropriately bonded. Surety bonds provide assurance that contractors will perform the work and pay specified subcontractors, laborers, and material suppliers.
For contractors and repair service providers, please visit the Better Business Bureau and learn more about the company’s reliability and authority to do business in your state.

Insurance considerations. To ensure coverage for repair work following a hurricane, clients should:

Discuss your project with your insurance or risk advisor before any construction or renovation begins, as insurers may require certain loss mitigation controls to be added as a part of the project.
Do not sign documents that contain a waiver of subrogation clause or hold-harmless agreement, and do not sign any agreements to assign your insurance benefits directly to a vendor or contractor. This may affect how your insurance responds and cause you to take unnecessary responsibility for losses that may occur during repairs.
Obtain a certificate of insurance to verify that the contractor or service provider has general liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance. It is prudent to contact their insurance provider to confirm that coverage is in force and the aggregate limit has not been eroded by prior claims. Depending on the size of the project, it is advisable to verify that the contractor also has excess liability coverage.

Rely on our team

Your MMA PCS team has extensive experience mobilizing resources to help clients through hurricanes and other catastrophe events.

Family Office Hurricane Impact

A family office had many members who owned multiple properties and automobiles, all located within the same severely damaged area.
Managing home and auto claims for multiple family members was made
extra challenging due to the devastated area being initially inaccessible to all claims adjusters.
The MMA PCS claims advocacy team streamlined communications and the claims process by designating single points of contact and resources for the family office.

We are responsive to our clients and are ready to provide guidance and advice to help you recover as quickly as possible. Our claims team is committed to serving our clients by: