Flood Damage

The National Weather Service confirms that flooding is a nationwide threat responsible for $3.5 billion per year in total flood insurance claims.

Flooding is unique from other perils because it is not typically covered in your property insurance policy. This means you may have to obtain special coverage with your insurer or work with policies made available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which has its own set of rules. Also, water damage from a flood is an expansive topic that deserves thorough assessment to determine the immediate and the potential property damage, so you and your business will not suffer any further.

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Post-disaster, this could leave you vulnerable to complex policy conditions and oversights that can stall the recovery process, and result in an inadequate flood claim. Running a business and managing a claim can be two full-time jobs. Our public adjusters lift the burden by handling your flood insurance claim. We work on your behalf with all other parties involved. We provide you with the expertise to prepare and support a detailed claim in order to attain the optimum settlement for you.

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There are many complex issues involved in the NFIP program in terms of filing a flood claim. One of many unique coverage issues relates to the definition of “flood” under the NFIP.  As an example, in order to qualify as a “flood” there must be “a general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of two or more areas of normally dry land area or of two or more properties (at least one of which is your property) from an overflow of inland or tidal waters; unusual and rapid accumulation or run-off of surface waters from any source; mud flow.” In plain English, a flood is an excess of rising water (or mud) on land that is normally dry. A flood can stem from heavy rains, overflowing rivers, thawing snow, flash flooding and hurricane storms surges. The resulting damage from a flood event can include all types of complex issues, which will require expert analysis in order to prove the damages and support the claim.

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Also, be aware that if you have flood damage and have to use a water restoration dry-out company, you need to understand the rules in which FEMA and the NFIP pays. If not, you may get stuck with a huge bill to pay or worse,  a lien on your property.

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You are probably quite aware that Houston floods in any heavy rainstorm and has suffered catastrophic floods in recent history including Tropical Storm Allison and Harvey, the Tax Day Flood, the Memorial Day flood, and hurricane Irma. As public adjusters who deal with flood issues on a regular basis, we recommend you read and understand your flood insurance policy before a loss, as it is limited in amounts and scope of coverage. Remember that the flood adjuster that is sent out by your insurance company typically has no real authority.  He or she can only write up a claim and submit it for payment consideration.

Please read this website about adjusting a flood claim.  While somewhat technical, it will give you an idea if your insurance adjuster is following best practices.  If you have a flood loss to your insured property, you need to be very mindful of the 60-day provision for filing a flood proof of loss. This places additional pressure on the insured policyholder to get all their damage documentation together in what can be a very limited amount of time. If this is not waived by an authorized government official (you need to get the printed copy of the waiver) and you do not have your proof-of-loss form submitted within sixty days, it is likely your claim will not be paid!

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Naturally there will be numerous insurance claims filed following a major disaster or flood event. As our public adjusters have witnessed many times before, it may take a very long time for the relief efforts to reach your specific area.  One also needs to factor in the amount of claims that will be assigned to your insurance carrier’s adjusters that will be hired to adjust thousands of flood claim losses.  As a result, it may take your adjuster a considerable amount of time before they will have the opportunity to reach your property.  In these situations, we recommend being proactive by hiring a public adjuster who can dedicate their time to your specific claim in detail so you receive everything you are entitled to.

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Contact the Claim Warriors today to start the process of a proper and equitable recovery to your flood damage claim.

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Contact a public adjuster from the Claim Warriors if you have a question or would like a free consultation about your flood damage insurance claim or call us at (833) 633-6639.