Flood and Water

It looks like South Florida has dodged the hurricane bullet again. While I am out of town for this event and missed it altogether, I understand from friends it was not that bad…. a lot of rain, but not much wind.  Rain however can cause significant damage. This is particularly true if it results in widespread flooding. Many homeowners are surprised to find that flood is not covered by their insurance policy. That’s true. You need to purchase flood insurance before flood is covered.  If you have flood insurance you should be in good shape.

However, tropical systems can down trees and deluges that accompany them can also pour in through leaky roofs or through broken windows causing substantial damage. If this has happened to you, when you report your claim to the insurance company, don’t tell them your house is flooded. Flood in an insurance policy has a specific meaning (a general inundation of a normally dry area over an area of 2 or more acres). If you tell the insurance company your house is flooded from the storm, they may mistakenly presume you mean flood when you really mean damaged by water from a leaky roof or broken window.  In so misconstruing your report they may deny your claim without even bothering to inspect the damage. 

Many areas have experienced power outages. Regardless of whether your home is damaged by flood or water pouring through a hole in your roof, you should be aware of electricity. When the power is restored, there is always the danger of electrocution. So be safe in Isaac and be careful of electrical lines in and outside your home.

Remember, you can find information on how to make an insurance claim at www.BenefitBill.com

Bill

Issac

Florida is once again in the cone of uncertainty with Isaac and no doubt the drum beat of fear will start to intensify the closer to certainty we get. But in the meantime in the words or Bob Marley “don’t worry, be happy” and in the words of Benefit Bill™ “take pictures”. One of the smartest things you can do is to take a complete set of photos of your house showing its undamaged condition. That way you have proof positive documentation should someone (insert insurance adjuster or insurance expert here) disagree with you after the storm. 

But don’t stop with shots of your home; take photographs of your closets and your open drawers to document your personal stuff as well. And then, most importantly, put your photographs on the cloud so if your camera is damaged you haven’t lost your evidence. I practice what I preach by the way. I keep my company files on the cloud where they are safe and backed up. If a storm hits I may be without access for a few days, but I won’t lose anything.

If Isaac becomes a significant threat remember to protect you and your family first. The truly important things can’t be replaced. You can get a tv or computer anytime, it’s hard to replace a spouse or a child or the family pet or you for that matter. And keep in mind that it doesn’t take a major storm to create a dangerous condition so be safe.

If your home or business is damaged you’re going to be faced with making an insurance claim. While the insurance company will send a task adjuster out to inspect your property and prepare an estimate of the damages, chances are it will be insufficient to effect repairs. No the insurance company is not trying to rip you off, rebuild prices vary widely following a storm and getting an accurate price is next to impossible. Just remember, if you want more than the insurance company is willing to pay, you must be able to prove it. www.BenefitBill.com offers lots of free advice to help you in this regard. Be sure to check it out.

Bill