Hurricane Insurance Claims

Hurricanes wreak havoc to persons and property in their path.  During a hurricane, homes, businesses, public buildings, and infrastructure may be damaged or destroyed by many different storm hazards:

• Debris can break windows and doors
• High winds and rain enter the home
• In extreme storms, the force of the wind alone can cause tremendous devastation, as trees and power lines topple and weak elements of homes and buildings fail
• Roads and bridges can be washed away and homes saturated by flooding
• Destructive tornadoes can also be present well away from the storm's center during landfall.

Storm surge alone poses the highest threat to life and destruction in many coastal areas throughout the United States and territories.

These threats are not limited to the coastline -- they can extend hundreds of miles inland, under the right conditions. These events can displace our families and disrupt our lives.

When we suffer these types of damages, we can and should rightfully expect our insurance carrier – to whom we have paid our insurance premiums religiously – to be there and help us during our time of need.

Unfortunately, insurance companies today seem to be engaged in a war with their consumer policyholders whenever a claim is made. They abandon us.  The refuse to pay our property damage claims, wrongfully deny homeowners' insurance claims.

Insurance companies often deny or fail to pay fair compensation for legitimate hurricane damage claims.  This may represent bad faith conduct on the part of your insurance carrier. If so, you may be entitled to bring a separate claim for their bad faith money damages directly against your insurance company.

f this has happened to you, then contact hurricane insurance attorney David Hughes Harris to handle the claim on your behalf.

Insurance companies are in the business of denying claims. They love taking our premium dollars every month, year after year, which we pay for protection. When we need that protection in the wake of a hurricane, we too often find that we have entered a zone of excuses.
Some insurance companies attribute the damage to “flooding” and therefore deny the claim. Others insurers hire cheap contractors who use the cheapest materials for “repairs,” and take their time in completing these “repairs.”

Most insurance companies hire temporary adjusters (called “emergency adjusters”), without training or without complying with the adjuster’s code of ethics, in the wake of a hurricane.
Other examples of instances when your insurance company attempts to hide from paying you what it owes you:

1. If you need to stay at a hotel and / or buy food because your home is not fit to live in due to the hurricane, your insurer should reimburse you.
2. Removal of trees and other debris may be paid for by your insurer.
3. If someone else’s tree did damage to your home or property, your insurance should cover the cost of repair.
4. Damage to your car should be covered by your auto insurance.
5. If you replace any damaged property – such as your TV, computer, DVD player, etc. – your insurer should pay for the full cost of replacement.

An insurance policy is a contract. The consumer/homeowner agrees to pay the premiums, and the insurance company agrees to pay hurricane damage claims.

We represent consumers – the homeowners in hurricane damage claims. We want your insurance carrier to honor its contract, and will fight to make them do so.

1. Take pictures after the hurricane, if possible from the same angles as those taken before the storm.
2. Contact your insurer as soon as possible.
3. Keep a running diary – a LOG -- of every contact with all insurance company representatives. Make sure to list date and time and name of representative.
4. Make a list of damaged interior furnishings and personal property.
5. Make temporary repairs to prevent further damage.
6. Keep all receipts for your expenses and expenditures related to the hurricane damage.
7. Save all paperwork.

Bad Faith Lawsuit

If your insurance company has abandoned you, delayed your claim, denied your claim, or otherwise not acted your best interests, then your insurance carrier may have acted in bad faith. If so, then you be entitled to bring a separate claim for money damages directly against your insurance company. Contact a consumer injury lawyer at our law firm regarding your bad faith claim. You may be eligible to receive compensation for your losses due to the insurer's misconduct.

We may team up with, co-counsel, or jointly prosecute, your bad faith claim with an insurance claims attorney whom we know and trust. We are sensitive to your needs, share your values, and work hard for you and your family to secure justice.