Hurricanes and Water Damage

June 1st ushered in the beginning of yet another hurricane season. As the storms begin brewing in the warm Atlantic waters, nervous homeowners are wondering, “Will a hurricane damage my home this time around?” Perhaps. Especially if you live in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC, Delaware, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Rhode Island, or New York. These seventeen states and Washington DC are regularly pounded on by hurricanes.

Residents living in these areas suffer from devastating water damage and property losses each hurricane season. To make it even more devastating, some of this water damage is NOT covered by your homeowner’s insurance and even if it is, high insurance deductibles apply.

After a hurricane damages your home, your insurance company needs to assess the damage. Not only will your insurer confirm that your home has been damaged, if water damage is involved, your insurance company will need to determine whether or not the damage is covered. For example, if the water surged into your house due to the storm surge, that’s considered flooding. Unless you have a national flood insurance policy, the water damage will not be covered by insurance.

On the other hand, if your home’s roof was blown off and the rain came pouring in, then it’s more likely that you’ll have coverage for the resulting water damage. After all, it wasn’t a flood that caused the water, it was the wind that blew your roof off and exposed your home to torrential rains.

If you’re lucky and the water damaged is covered by your insurance policy, you’ll be responsible for paying your insurance deductible. However, in the above mentioned hurricane-prone states as well as the state of Hawaii, different insurance deductibles apply when a hurricane is involved. It’s important to understand your state’s hurricane deductible options so that you can plan accordingly. While each state has its own unique laws in this area, in general, hurricane deductibles are much higher than your standard insurance deductible.

For example, you may be required to pay a percentage of your home’s total value rather than a small fixed fee as a deductible. This difference can be dramatic and you could be looking at tens of thousands of dollars of out of pocket expenses before the insurance company pays a penny.

Hurricane deductibles are higher because of historically high hurricane losses in these states. Not only do hurricane force winds blow off roofs and smash trees into homes, extensive flooding occurs. Between the torrential rains, coastal flooding, and storm surges, water damage is inevitable when a hurricane blows through.

If you’re reading this now, before hurricane and water damage have affected your home, now’s a good time to prepare for future hurricanes. Do you fully understand your insurance policy? Have you reviewed all hurricane deductible options and selected the one that makes the most sense for your financial situation? Have you looked into a flood insurance policy? Do you have storm shutters? Do you know how to secure your garage door against high winds? Have you considered roof retrofitting? Have you installed hurricane straps? Have you looked at flood maps? Do you have an evacuation plan? Do you have a plan for returning home and dealing with the wind and water damage?

If you’re reading this now, after a hurricane has ravaged your home and you’re faced with a home full of water damage, you’ve got a soggy, heart-wrenching task ahead of you – and time is critical. Hurricanes and water damage bring with them an unwelcome after effect: mold. High humidity levels after a hurricane mean that you have to work quickly to dry out your home and prevent a mold infestation. The sooner you can get in and start draining, drying, disinfecting, and cleaning up, the better.

Unfortunately, hurricane water damage is rarely minimal and you’ll likely need professional help. Look for a water damage expert with industrial blowers and portable generators as power may be out for several days. You can’t afford to wait for the power to come back or else you may have an unpleasant black monster to deal with, too.

Hurricanes are coming. Are you ready?