Hurricane Irma’s Damage to Florida
For those of us living on the Southeast coast of the United States, hurricanes are not a strange phenomenon. If you live in Florida, storms are an inseparable part of life. The Atlantic hurricane season is the period from June 1st to November 30th when water temperatures across the North Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Gulf of Mexico, have sufficiently warmed up to be conducive to creating tropical waves. This article is for those who have had to make a Hurricane Irma Claim, and how we can help you with your claim!
Even weak hurricanes can cause significant property damage. However, because of their relative frequency, insurance companies in Florida often specialize their policies to be highly specific and air-tight in regard to issuing payouts for claims. As we covered in our last post, insurance companies will do everything in their power to keep their margins well in their favor and pay you the least for your damages. This is where a public adjuster can help you the most.
Because of its location, Florida is often in the direct trajectory of these hurricanes. Over the history of the State, hundreds of hurricanes, tropical storms, and tropical depressions have hit Florida. Hurricane Irma hit the state in 2017 and it was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes to ever make landfall. While not quite a category 5 storm when it made landfall, Irma peaked with a sustained wind speed of 120 mph.
The damage from Irma was extensive and far-reaching due to the size of its eye and the hurricane-force winds that extended out from there. The numbers speak for themselves though: it is estimated that Irma caused $42-65 billion in wind and flood damage which had occurred to residential and commercial property.
More than 1 million insurance claims were filed and insured losses have exceeded $11.08 billion according to the Office of Insurance Regulation. While many of these claims have since been closed out, there are still people who have not filed for a claim or did not reach a settlement on their existing claim.
Florida Public Adjuster for Hurricane Irma Claims
The reason why a licensed public adjuster is truly needed is that insurance can be tricky and insurance claim literacy is not held by most people. Sure, many people understand the basic idea behind how insurance plans work and what exceptions may not be covered by their plans. However, even with things like storm damage that ARE covered by your plan—it’s entirely possible to not receive enough of what you are owed to cover damages from your Hurricane Irma Claim.
Insurance plans may quote a high maximum price of what you can be awarded, but they never promise you that you will be awarded as much. While you can never make more money than what it costs to fix something, a public adjuster who has ample experience in the field can enlighten you as to how much damage you’ve truly sustained.
This is evident, especially in the case of things such as water which can cause damage in unexpected or unseen areas and lead to other issues like mold growth.
Hurricane Irma Claims Deadline
September 10th or 11th, 2020 will be three years since Irma made landfall in the state of Florida in your area. Florida homeowners have 3 years from the date a named storm causes damage to their property to file insurance claims. At the time of writing this, it is March, and homeowners have another 6 months to open or reopen a Hurricane Irma Claim. If you’re a homeowner in Florida, damage from hurricanes is not an “if” but a “when”. All property owners should have at their disposal a public adjuster who not only understands insurance claims but has knowledge of state-specific policies as is the case surrounding something like hurricanes.
Florida’s Best Public Adjusters has dealt with cases all around the State of Florida. As public adjusters, we don’t get paid until the insurance company pays. If you’ve suffered from property damage as a result of Hurricane Irma, it’s not too late to file or reopen an existing claim. Call us today at (800)-952-7693!
