Personal Injury Blog

3 Important Steps To Filing a Hurricane Damage Claim

When filing an insurance claim due to Florida hurricane damage, there are 3 important steps that everyone should take. A Florida hurricane damage attorney from Lilly, O’Toole & Brown can investigate your damage claim and help you to fight for compensation. Contact us today – 1-863-683-1111

Hurricane Season is Here!

According to the Florida Division of Emergency Management hurricane season is once again upon us.  The season runs from June 1 through November 30, and while nothing big has hit the coast in the first month of the season, Florida rarely escapes unscathed.

As part of our ongoing efforts to help educate the public, we've put up a new section of our website, entitled "Seven Important Hurricane Preparation Tips."  Check it out and let us know what you think.  We'd love to hear from you about tips that your family has that you think we should share with everyone else.

If you're new to Florida or haven't put together a disaster supply kit before, here's a page where you can learn some of the basics.

Hurricane Season Is Good Time to Check Insurance Coverage

Hurricane Dolly is a category 1 storm churning in the Gulf of Mexico.  Texas can expect high winds and heavy rains for quite a while, as well as significant property damage. 

Four years ago Florida was hit by four different hurricanes in less than two months and suffered massive amounts of property damage, some of which is still being paid back.  Homeowners need to check their policy and speak with their insurance agent about their coverages. 

In the wake of the catastrophic storms of 2004 many insurance companies have scaled back coverage or eliminated it altogether.  After the storm is not the time to find out your coverage has changed, so make an appointment today.  Lilly, O’Toole & Brown handles hundreds of insurance claims a year and knows what changes in coverage can do to a claim.  Find out what your coverage is and make any necessary changes now before it is too late.

Experts predict more hurricanes – Better check your coverage

A report was just released indicating hurricane expert have increased the number of named storms this year from 15 to 17, with many more tropical depressions.

The increase was caused by the large number of active systems occurring so early this year in the hurricane season. This provides a good reminder to check your coverage for hurricane damage with your home insurance agent. Most policies were changed in the aftermath of the 2004 hurricane season and a lot homeowners are simply not aware of what has happened. Now instead of a standard amount for a deductible, it turns into a percentage of the value of the home.

Also, some items may not even be covered anymore. Sit down with your agent and make sure you have the necessary coverage to protect yourself if we have the big hit again.

Tropical Storm Fay – Are You Covered?

After the trifecta of hurricanes that hit central Florida in 2004, insurance companies scrambled to change policies to better protect themselves. Faced with potential losses that could bankrupt them, the companies changed policies, cancelled policies and increased premiums many times over to make up for shortfalls and stockpile money for the next major storm.

But this hurts insureds, so be prepared. Review your policy and make sure you understand what is covered and what is not covered. Speak to your agent and make sure the agent understands your needs and has you properly insured. If an issue comes up, contact an attorney to help you work your way through the legal paperwork if your insurance company suddenly decides they do not have to cover a loss.

Late season hurricanes are still a threat

As the late season tropical storm continues to assault Cuba, the tracking models continue to change.  At first, when Paloma was a category 1 hurricane and then began to intensify it appeared to be heading out into the Atlantic.  Once Paloma hit the high mountains of Cuba it drastically lost intensity and has now been downgraded to a tropical depression.  But Paloma has also done an about face, now heading back across Cuba and appearing to carve a path right through the straits and into the Gulf of Mexico.  The lesson learned is that even with the most technologically advanced equipment man has devised, it is still guesswork sometimes when dealing with the weather.  Do not let your hurricane coverage be guesswork.  Speak to your insurance agent today about your coverage.  Make sure you have adequate coverage for your home and for your property.  If you have to evacuate and can not live in your home, are you covered for that as well?  What about pets that can not go to a shelter?  What if someone is hurt while repairing your home?  With hurricane season ending this month we can take a deep breath.  Florida averted a catastrophic hurricane so far this year and the odds are in our favor that this will hold out until 2009.  Don't let a natural disaster turn your home into a disaster.  Speak to your agent today.  If you have a hurricane related home issue already, speak to Lilly, O'Toole & Brown.