Hurricane Laura: Tips for filing an insurance claim after the storm

Hurricane Season is always a time of anxiety and concern.  Now that the impacts of the season are being felt we have compiled a summary of useful contacts/information to help our friends.  Be Safe and let us know if we can help!National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) - for those with an NFIP policy, here is a direct link to their site fema.gov/flood-insurance. Here you can find Claim Forms, Disaster Relief Fund: Monthly Reports, by State, for the progress of Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance being offered. You can also apply for Emergency Assistance.Tips from Ready.gov.  Ready.gov is a great place to go in preparing for hurricanes but also has tips to support the aftermath.

Returning Home After a Hurricane

• Listen to local officials for information and special instructions.
• Be careful during clean-up. Wear protective clothing and work with someone else.
• Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. If it is safe to do so, turn off electricity at the main breaker or fuse box to prevent electric shock.
• Avoid wading in flood water, which can contain dangerous debris. Underground or downed power lines can also electrically charge the water.
• Save phone calls for emergencies. Phone systems are often down or busy after a disaster. Use text messages or social media to communicate with family and friends.
• Document any property damage with photographs. Contact your insurance company for assistance.

Tips for filing an insurance claim after the storm

1. Contact your insurer as soon as possible, have a copy of your insurance policy handy and in a safe place.
2. Start documenting loss (property and contents), as soon as it is safe to.  Pictures are a great way to document damage, hopefully you already have pictures of your property from before the storm.
3. Locate information of emergency services and where they are available in your immediate area. Houston Emergency Operations Center , Louisiana Office of the Governor 
4. Begin mitigating the damage to your property (temporary repairs), safely, to prevent further damage.  Maintain all receipts related to temporary repairs. Using reputable and licensed/insured contractors for temporary repairs is a good choice for those larger issues that you are unable to address yourself.
5. Confirm with your insurer before you start discarding of damaged items
6. Start a claim file, to keep track of calls, damage, and overall progress.  Log contractors that you have spoken with.  You will likely start getting visits from a lot of different service providers; take notes!

Hopefully you have prepared your businesses with a Hurricane Preparedness Plan and are rolling out the phases of such, but if not here is a link for some additional pointers OSHA.gov.Ready.gov has also prepared an Emergency Financial First Aid kit.If you have successfully come through this unscathed and want to help here are a few links:American Red Cross you can make financial donations or sign up to volunteerGlobal Giving has set up a Hurricane Laura Relief Fund and also offers a Corporate Giving platformGulf Coast Regional Blood Center It's easy to forget during times of Hurricanes that the simple task of donating blood also helps restock the shelves, so to speak. Those injured from the storm may need blood and this a great way to prevent shortages.  Gulf Coast Regional Blood Centers have information on mobile sites, by day. Locations are already available today.** As always, with donations, a little due diligence goes a long way.  Make sure you understand the organization that you are contributing to and where your contribution goes.Be Well, Stay Safe

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