Storm Damage

What is Storm Damage?

A storm is defined as any disturbed state of an environment or atmosphere affecting its surface and strongly implying severe weather.

This can include: strong wind, lightning, hail, heavy precipitation, sleet, freezing rain, ice or strong winds. In addition weather events classified as ice storms, tropical cyclone, tornado, windstorms, blizzards, sandstorms, dust storms, and hurricanes fall under the storm damage category.

Assessing storm damage is key to receiving the insurance settlement you are owed. That is where a public adjuster can fight for you and make sure every dollar you are due is given to you by your insurance provider.

Wind / Windstorm

Wind can do devastating damage to residential and commercial properties. Wind often is found in conjunction with thunderstorms and other storms, but it can be present outside of storms. Straight-line-winds have done significant damage to property at times. Wind is difficult to predict and predicting the timing and strength can be difficult. Windstorms are covered on a standard homeowner’s insurance policy.

If you have wind damage, you should take the necessary steps to protect your home. Tarps on roofs or over windows that are broken are key to limiting the water and other elements from entering the home and causing further damage. High winds can cause trees to fall, debris to fly in to your home or business and even rip shingles off your roof. Micorbursts, gale winds, macro bursts and firestorms can all produce circumstances where wind damage is possible.

Tornado

Tornado Damage

Tornados are a terrifying experience. The damage and catastrophic loss that they can produce in just minutes is unlike any other storm or natural weather disaster. Our public adjusters have extensive knowledge of the aspects often associated with a tornado damage claim. Having a team that knows the process and has the experience can make the difference in recovering what is due to you under your policy.

Tips for Tornado Damage

Due to the nature of tornado damage, it is recommended that you call your claim in immediately. Tornados typically cause widespread damage and claims will mount up quickly for insurance providers.

Keep all your receipts for related expenses: tarps, protection, storm expenses, temporary housing, cost of eating out due to lack of facilities, etc. The size of the receipt does not matter, keep all of your expenses.

Tarp or patch roofing as soon as possible. If roof pieces or elements are torn off due to the tornado, cover or patch those as soon as possible. If rain follows, water can enter the home and cause even more damage.

Property Damage Claims

Claims involvign property damage must be handled correctly. These include claims due to wind and water. In most cases you must be able to prove that water damage was a direct result from the exterior damage the tornado created. This can cause the tornado claim to become more difficult, which is why it really helps to have a public adjuster on your side. Other endorsements may be needed, such as mold, loss of use, law and ordinance or even a supplemental policy.

It is your responsibility post-storm to protect your property from further damage. If you don’t take proper action, your insurance company could deny your coverage.

Protect Your Property

To fulfill your obligation to protect your home there are a variety of things you can do including: hiring a security guard, demolition of damaged building components that are proven to be unsafe, boarding up windows, doors and other entryways, mitigating any water damage or mold and removing any carpet or drywall that is wet or lost. do not rely on your insurance company to do this for you as it is your responsibility to prove your losses to them.

In order to do this, you will need to have an accurate inventory of items that were destroyed. Everything should be documented completely so that you can be reimbursed fully.

Hail Damage

Recovering your loss and properly filling out the insurance claim for hail damage can be a challenge. Due to the variety of insurance policy coverage and the discretionary nature of the insurance adjusting process, it is tough. Adjusting standards can vary from insurance adjuster to insurance adjuster and each insurance company has their own policy and standards. In North Texas, we get a few hailstorms every year. It has become normal and our team is very experienced in hail damage claims.

If the hail is severe enough visible damages are typically present. These are typically undisputed by an insurance adjuster. With many claims there are issues with the scope of the damage and the funds you are going to be compensated to repair those issues.

Often, the assigned insurance adjuster’s training, experience and knowledge of this type of adjustment process will play a very important part in how your claim is both valued and settled. A common issue that arises is if you will be paid to replace the complete roof or if a patch job will be offered as a partial repair. The next question is if the insurance adjuster will apply depreciation to your roof and if so, is it fair and reasonable? Remember, knowledge and information is power. Do you know the questions to ask as well as what you are entitled to in an insurance loss adjusting process from a hail event? Your roof is one the most important building components of your property. You need to have the damages documented and the adjustment process completed professionally to get you properly indemnified for your loss. A fair and honest settlement to properly fix your roof damage and any other siding property damage is not only important to protect your biggest property investment but should also be in the best interest of your insurance company as well.

Lightning Damage

Lightning damage is a concern for both residential and commercial property homeowners. What happens if property gets struck by lightning? Typically, lightning tries to find the fastest route to the ground and if it hits your structure it will travel through the fastest available routes to the ground. Normally this includes electrical wiring, plumbing, cable or telephone lines, antennas or satellite dishes, and/or steel framework. The primary reason being inside during a thunderstorm is because homes and buildings typically have an abundance of grounding paths. When lightning does hit your property it can cause major damage to your electrical appliances and plumbing. It can even cause it to catch on fire and cause smoke and fire damage.

Hurricane or Tropical Storm

Hurricanes are one of the most destructive events on earth. As a result, claim adjusters are often brought from remote locations, that are sometimes only part-time adjusters to help with the overload of claims. These claim adjusters can be uniformed of local building codes and other aspects that are unique to your location. This can put the homeowner or business owner at a disadvantage in their claim process and cause them to be given less money than needed to repair or replace their property.

It can take weeks or months to have your claim investigated much less settled. There couldn’t be a more necessary time to hire your own adjuster to ensure your claim is settled for the maximum benefits you are owed. Since wind only policies typically do not cover flood and flood policies do not typically cover wind, insurance companies like to point to the cause of loss as something other than what is covered. This is when having an expert opinion to sort through the various damages can be so beneficial. If you have experienced hurricane damage, we can help.