Guide to Selecting a Flood Damage Insurance Claim Attorney in Florida

Nobody wishes for a flood; however, a flood does not happen because you did not want it. Hence, there is a need always to be prepared for a case of flood damage.

An abundance of water will no doubt cause extreme damage to your property, garage, house, condominium, and more damage if your property is uninsured.

According to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), 90% of all-natural disasters in the United States involve flooding.

In Florida, like other parts of the world, many things can cause flood damage. They include:

  • Leaking roofs
  • Heavy rains, storms, or hurricane
  • Property owner’s negligence
  • Neighbour’s negligence
  • Obstructed waterways
  • Overflowing rivers
  • Bad drainage systems
  • Coastal flooding
  • Broken pipes

If flood damage happens, getting your property or home back will require a whole lot of work, especially if the insurance company is not cooperating. This is where the services of a “Flood Damage Insurance Claim Attorney” comes in.

A “Flood Damage Insurance Claim Attorney” will ensure that you get your property and every other thing lost in flood damage. So, you would no doubt be needing one in the case of flood damage.

In Florida, there are quite a several attorneys that can help you out in this regard. All you need is to search online and choose from a long list of professionals.

Unlike some other parts of the world, the Florida Homeowner’s policy does not cover flood damage. Hence, every homeowner purchases must flood insurance even after getting a home insurance policy.

How do you protect yourself from a flood?

A flood can indeed happen whether or not you wish for it; however, there are ways to protect yourself from a flood before and after it happens.

BEFORE A FLOOD

When you stay in an area with a high risk for flood, it is only wise that you prepare in case a flood happens.

1. Get flood Insurance: One cannot overemphasize the importance of getting flood insurance, especially for people living in Florida where homeowner’s insurance does not cover flood damage. Besides getting the flood insurance, there is still a need to do an annual insurance check-up with your agent to confirm that you have the right coverage.

2. Know your flood risk: You need to know where you stand regarding a flood. Do you stay in an area that is prone to flood or not? You should look up your address in the Flood Map Service Centre to know where you stand.

3. Take a household inventory: After a flood, you sure do not want a situation that involves you not being so sure about the property you lost to the flood. To avoid this, you need to take pictures and videos of all major household items and valuables. You must keep these documents in a safe place because they would come in handy when filing insurance claims.

4. Be prepared: If there is a need for you to evacuate, you have to prepare an emergency kit. This would include the necessary prescription medications and a first aid kit.

5. Store important documents: When you know a flood is imminent, it is the best time to keep important documents like birth certificates, passports, medical records, insurance papers in a safe, dry place.

6. Stock up on foods and essential items: You cannot afford to wait until the last meeting to buy groceries. When there is already a flood warning, stock up on non-perishables and water. If you fail to do this early enough, you might face empty shelves when you eventually want to.

7. Listen to the news: If newscasters advise you to evacuate your neighborhood, do not hesitate to. They know what’s best. Go to a designated area or stay with friends and family till it is over.

DURING A FLOOD

If you were out during a flood, you would want to do the following:

1. Do not walk through flooded areas because it might be difficult to tell how deep the water is, even if you are quite familiar with the area.

2. If you must walk in water, it is advisable to walk where the water is not moving. You can even make use of a stick as a guide in the water.

3. Avoid low spots like basements, ditches, underpasses as they are extremely dangerous during a flood.

4. Do not drive into flooded areas. It is very dangerous to drive during the flood as you might not feel the firmness of the ground. Hence, if flood water rises around your car, it is advisable to abandon the vehicle and move to higher ground.

5. Avoid touching electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.

AFTER A FLOOD

1. Return home only when authorities say it is safe. Make sure you keep on listening to the news. That way, you hear first hand when the authorities declare it safe to return home.

2. Avoid flood water: The water may be contaminated by oil or gas. It might also be electrically charged. You’d want to avoid it.

3. Take note of areas where the flood water has gone down. The road may be fragile and collapse under the weight of a vehicle.

4. Avoid buildings that are still surrounded by floodwater.

5. Make sure to clean and disinfect everything that was stuck in the floodwater. They could have been covered in sewage and chemical.

STEPS TO MINIMIZE YOUR FLOOD LOSSES

To minimize your losses during a flood, you might want to take the following steps:

1. Waterproof your basement: Install a water alarm to protect your basement in the event of a flood.

2. Clear debris from the gutter: You do not want a situation whereby water gets accumulated even after a flood because of the trash in your gutter.

3. Get a reasonable flood damage Insurance Claim Attorney ready to go to any lengths to ensure the damages are minimized.

WHY YOU NEED A FLOOD DAMAGE INSURANCE CLAIM ATTORNEY.

You might still be in doubt on whether or not you need a Flood Damage Insurance Claim Attorney. Suppose you reside in Florida, where the typical homeowner’s policy does not cover flood damage. In that case, you need one more than you think.

Below are a few reasons you need the services of a Flood Damage Insurance Claim Attorney:

1. Potential confusion about flood Insurance policies: Because most flood insurance policies are separate from the homeowner’s policy, there is always confusion about what will cover flood damage. However, with the help of a Flood Damage Insurance Claim Attorney at Louis Law Group in Florida, all your confusion will disappear. Hence, it will not be a problem to figure when, where, and how to submit a claim for your losses with one.

2. Denials: There can be an outright denial of what the insurance would cover. The insurance company can deny that you incurred certain losses, which can leave you devastated. However, with the help of a Flood Damage Insurance Claim Attorney, you are on the path to getting what rightfully belongs to you.

3. Hidden costs and damages related to flooding: There is a tendency for a person without a Flood Damage Insurance Claim Attorney to get less money than a person with one; this is because a professional will understand the extent of the flood damage. Hence, you can bet on not being cheated by the insurance company when you have a Flood Damage Insurance Claim Attorney.