Tips & Downloads
Howard Stallings Law Firm’s
Extensive Guide to Navigating Property Insurance Claims
Hurricane Preparedness and Response
In North Carolina, hurricane season spans from June 1st to November 30th, with heightened activity typically in September and October. The following comprehensive guide outlines crucial steps for documenting and preserving your property insurance claim:
Pre-Storm Preparation
Document Property Condition: Photograph every area of your property, both inside and out, to establish a baseline condition. This includes capturing images of the house, outbuildings, landscaping, personal property, and any other significant assets.
Review Insurance Coverage: Thoroughly examine all insurance policies and declaration pages, including homeowners, auto, flood, and business insurance. Understanding the specifics of your coverage is critical for effective post-storm claim processing.
Prepare for Immediate Needs: Stock up on essential supplies like non-perishable food, water, batteries, and first aid kits. Ensure your emergency kit is ready and accessible.
Secure and Protect Property: Take proactive measures to safeguard your property against potential storm damage. This includes boarding up windows, securing outdoor items, and reinforcing vulnerable structures.
Post-Storm Actions
Rapid Damage Assessment: Conduct an immediate post-storm inspection to identify and document any damage. This is crucial for timely insurance claims.
Early Claim Submission: File your insurance claim as soon as possible. Timely submission can significantly influence the speed and efficiency of the claims process.
Diligent Communication Tracking: Keep a detailed log of all interactions with your insurance company, including dates, names, and the content of each conversation.
Mitigate Further Damage: Perform necessary temporary repairs to prevent additional damage. Keep a detailed record and receipts of all repair-related expenses for potential reimbursement.
Dealing with Adjusters
Adjuster Identification: Determine if the adjuster is directly employed by the insurance company or an independent contractor. Knowing their role can influence your claim-handling strategy.
Differentiating Damage Types
Wind vs. Flood Damage Analysis: If you suspect flood damage but lack flood insurance, it’s still crucial to report all damages. Some policies may provide coverage for water and wind damage.
Vehicle Damage Coverage
Comprehensive Auto Insurance: Ensure that you document and file claims for any vehicle damage caused by the storm. Comprehensive auto insurance typically covers such damage.
Family and Property Safety Measures
1. Create a hurricane plan with your family and loved ones. If you have pets or service animals, make a plan and decide who is in charge of each pet if you decide to stay in your home and if you need to evacuate.
2. If you plan to stay in place during the storm, establish a safe place within your home for you and your family.
3. Assess the outside area of your home for potential hazards such as exposed or frayed wiring or items that could become projectiles during hurricane-force winds. Move hanging plants inside or to the garage; collapse umbrellas and store them securely; and secure or remove any deck or patio furniture.
4. Move large items inside your home to a central location away from windows, skylights, and low areas.
5. Move important documents (birth certificates, passports, etc.) to a safety deposit box. If you don’t have time to get a safety deposit box, move important documents to an elevated interior location within your home. If you plan to evacuate, pack the documents in a secure suitcase to bring with you when you leave.
6. Gather medications for every family member and pet and place them in a secure, easily accessible location. If you evacuate, make sure to bring all your medications with you.
7. Gather flashlights, batteries, backup battery packs, and fuel sources that might be useful if you lose power. If possible, make sure you charge battery packs before you lose power.
8. Take stock of your pantry and food items to make sure you have plenty of food that does not need to be heated.
9. Make sure you have gasoline in your car in case you need to evacuate quickly.
10. Use a portable radio or television to monitor weather conditions in your area so you will know if a hurricane watch or hurricane warning is in effect and if an evacuation order is issued.
Hurricane Downloads
● The North Carolina Hurricane Guide is a valuable resource from ReadyNC that will help you stay safe and minimize property loss during a hurricane or other natural disaster. This guide provides essential information for homeowners and business owners about what to do before, during, and after a hurricane.
● Hurricane Safety Brochure from the National Weather Service provides essential information about what to do before, during, and after a hurricane or tropical storm.
● Hurricaneflyer from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gives tips about how to prepare for a hurricane, how to stay safe during a hurricane, and what to do after a hurricane.
General Disaster Preparedness and Recovery
● A Consumer’s Guide to Homeowner’s Insurance from the NC Department of Insurance is a downloadable brochure that tells you everything you need to know about homeowner’s insurance.
● After a Disaster brochure from the NC Department of Insurance guides you through the steps to take after you’ve experienced property damage.
● Post-Disaster Claims Guide from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners will guide you through the steps you need to take to file an insurance claim after you’ve experienced property loss.
● 12 Ways to Prepare brochure from Ready.gov offers a simple visual checklist to help you prepare for any natural disaster or catastrophic event.
● Foods to Keep and Discard After a Power Outage from NC State Extension offers important guidance about which foods aren’t safe to consume after a power outage. Food poisoning is the last thing you need after you’ve endured a power outage, so this guide can help you stay away from spoiled food.
Tornado Preparedness and Safety
Tornadoes can be particularly destructive because you have very little time to prepare. That said, you can take steps to minimize damage in the event that a tornado touches down in your area.
1. Know when tornado season occurs in your part of the state. If you’re not sure, check out the Charlotte Observer’s informative and interactive tool: How Common are Tornadoes in NC? See How Many Have Touched Down in Your County. While past tornadoes are not always indicative of future tornado activity, this tool can give you a good idea if you live in an area that frequently experiences tornadoes.
2. Know the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning: A tornado watch means that conditions are ideal for a tornado to develop, while a tornado warning means that a tornado has been spotted in your area.
3. Create a tornado safety plan with your family members and identify a safe meeting place inside your home. If possible, choose an area with no exterior doors, windows, or skylights.
4. Find a radio, television, or communication device so you can stay informed about active tornadoes and so you will know when the tornado warning expires.
Tornado-Specific Downloads
● American Red Cross Safety Checklist to help you plan what to do before, during, and after a tornado.
● NC State Extension Tornado Fact Sheet provides interesting facts about the power and danger of tornadoes in North Carolina.
Fire and Smoke Prevention and Safety
Many families don’t know this: once a fire starts in your home, you and your family members have an average of 2 minutes to escape safely. That sounds like a very short amount of time, but the following tips from the American Red Cross might help increase the likelihood that you and your family members can escape from a fire:
1. Make sure you have the correct number of smoke alarms in your home and test them regularly to ensure that they are in good working order.
2. Create a fire escape plan for your family and practice it. Make sure small children know what the smoke alarms sound like and what they need to do if they hear the smoke alarms during the night.
3. Establish a family meeting place outside the home where everyone will meet in the event of a fire.
4. Purchase escape ladders and keep them accessible in rooms that are not on the ground floor.
5. Identify two points of exit out of every room in the house, and make sure that all family members know how to access those exit points.
6. Teach all family members how to dial 911 if they smell smoke or see fire in the home.
Fire Safety Downloads
● What to Do After the Fire from the North Carolina Department of Insurance and the Office of the State Fire Marshall features valuable advice about the most important steps to take to protect yourself, your family, and your property after a fire.
● Create your own Home Fire Escape Plan with this download from the American Red Cross.
● Home Heating Fires Fact Sheet from the American Red Cross.
● Cooking Fires Fact Sheet from the American Red Cross.