The focus of all should be on safety and preparation at the moment as Hurricane Irma bears down on Florida. Having sufficient water (1 gallon per person per day), food, flashlights, battery operated radio, first aid supplies and gasoline are all important items to gather while we wait for the storm to pass. The Red Cross has plenty more preparedness advice for pre-Hurricane Irma preparations.
Once Irma has moved on, however, you will want to pick up the pieces of your lives. After a major storm event such as Hurricane Irma, insurance claims will be likely and with those claims comes possible arguments with insurance carriers.
The Hurricane Irma Spaghetti models disagree on her current path, but wherever Irma makes landfall, before the hurricane hits, be prepared for possible insurance claims. Have readily accessible copies of insurance policies and take photos or videos the contents of your home. The video you shoot need not be professional and a simple cell phone video of your possessions can go a long way to eliminating disputes about whether something was owned, what condition it was in, the value, etc. Be sure to store a digital copy of this video on the cloud if you can — this can be accomplished by emailing the file to yourself — in case your cell phone becomes damaged or lost.
Of course, sometimes the insurance companies object to honoring your claim or refuse to pay full damages. In those cases, Saunders Law Group can help by working to make the insurance company pay what is actually owed under the policy. Our fees are paid only if successful.
Hopefully Hurricane Irma’s course will veer away from land and never come near Polk and neighboring counties and you won’t incur damages of any kind. Caution and safety come first, however. We wish everyone God’s speed over the next several days. Remember, we are all in this together. Help those in need when and where you can.
