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How to File an Insurance Claim for Hurricane Helene

How to File an Insurance Claim for Hurricane Helene

Written by Evolve Insurance Agency on Sep 26, 2024
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How to File an Insurance Claim for Hurricane Helene

How to File an Hurricane Helene Insurance Claim with your Insurance Carrier

If you have suffered damage as a result of Hurricane Helene, and would like to file a claim for those damages, please refer to the tips below along with the list of contact information for the majority of the insurance carriers we represent. If you cannot locate your carrier, please contact our office to file a claim.

Claim Filing Tips:

  1. This list is only intended for customers of Evolve Insurance Agency. While anyone is free to use this information as they wish, some insurance carriers operate multiple programs and sometimes each program has different contact information for the purposes of filing a claim. If you are unsure if this information is correct as it pertains to your policy, call your insurance agency directly to inqurie further. We cannot assist or answer questions related to policyholders who are with other insurance agencies.
  2. We HIGHLY suggest you contact your insurance carrier directly to file an insurance claim. We expect a heavy volume of calls related to damage and Hurricane Helene claims. To avoid unneccessary delays in filing your claim, we recommend you begin the process directly with your insurance carrier. Additionally, if your carrier offers a way to file your claim online at their website, we strongly encourage this - this way you can get your claim in the queue as quickly as possible.
  3. Determine what type of loss the claim was.
    • Losses caused by rising water (such as storm surges) are considered FLOOD losses, therefor you would need to contact your flood insurance carrier to file a claim. Your homeowners insurance policy will typically not cover losses caused by flooding events.
    • Losses caused by wind would need to be filed under your wind, hurricane, hail insurance policy. Many customers who have not chosen to opt-out of this coverage will file this type of damage with their homeowners insurer. In some cases, you may have purchased a homeowners insurance policy that excludes coverage for these perils and therefor coverage will not be applicable on that policy - if this is the case, determine if you purchased separate coverage for Wind, Hurricane, or Hail losses. Most commonly these types of stand-alone wind policies are purchased through Citizens Property Insurance Company.
    • If you are unsure as to what type of loss caused the damage to your home, then we recommend you file an insurance claim with each of your insurance carriers and let them determine what coverage, if any, applies.
  4. For Wind-related damage, your "Hurricane" deductible (which is usally higher) will apply to the loss. If your policy includes coverage for wind, hurricane, and hail, your declarations page will clearly state the Hurricane Deductible is likely shown as a percentage of your Coverage A limit. 
    For example, if your home is insured for a limit of $500,000 and you have a 2% hurricane deductible selected, your deductible will be $10,000 despite the final amount of the claim. (This % is based off of the purchased limit of coverage, NOT the total amount of the claim.)
  5. Understand when debris removal is and is not covered by your insurance policy. Most homeowners insurance policies include a small amount coverage for the removal of "debris of covered property". But, be aware that this coverage IS NOT intended to cover the removal of fallen trees and tree limbs after a storm. This coverage is meant to cover the debris created when there is physical damage done to your covered property and that damage causes debris.
    Example: Imagine your roof completely detached from the house due to high winds and was scattered in multiple pieces across the yard. This debris was once covered property (i.e. the roof) and is therefor the removal and cleanup is covered. Trees in your yard are not covered property and therefor debris casused by damage to them is not typically covered unless those trees caused damage to the home.
    TIP: When hiring a company to assist with tree removal, be sure they are local, licensed, and reputable. Also, make sure to ask for a legitimate receipt on the companies letterhead after exchaning money for services. Generic handwritten receipts are generally not acceptable.
  6. File your claim as soon as possible.
    • Generally speaking, insurance companies process claims on a first-come-first-served basis, however they will priortize policyholders who suffer the heaviest damage first, ahead of others who may still be able to live in and occupy their home. Because of this, we suggest filing your claim as soon as possible to help avoid unneccessary delays associated with responding to your claim.
  7. If there is damage to your home, once the storm subsides and emergency officials give the all clear, DO take whatever steps are neccessary to prevent further damage to your home. This could include the tarping of your roof and/or boarding up of broken windows. If you hire a professional service for this, be sure they are local, licensed, and reputable. Also, make sure to ask for a legitimate receipt on the companies letterhead after exchanging money for services. Generic handwritten receipts are generally not acceptable.
  8. DO NOT begin the process of permenant repairs until you speak with and receive clear authorization in writing from your insurance adjuster. Until this time you may get estimates for repair work so they are available when your adjuster contacts you.
  9. Expect processing delays. This is a large storm and is affecting a large portion of the State of Florida. The simple fact is that there are not enough insurance adjusters to go around immediately. Claims are a normal part of an insurance life-cycle, however, in the event of a large catastrophic hurricane, all carriers and all adjusting-firms get overwhelmed. Every facet of the claims handling process will end up taking longer than it otherwise would in a non-catastrophic situation.
  10. If your home is unlivable, make that clear to your insurance carrier when filing the claim. If they are made aware as to the seriousness of the damage to your home, they may be able to expedite getting funds to you to live off of while the claim goes through the normall process. The majority of insurance policies issued by us include something called "Loss of Use" coverage which is to provide additional coverage to you for the additional living expenses you will incur as a result of the damage.

To locate your insurance carrier, refer to the list below. If you cannot locate your insurance carrier, please call us at 941-244-2760 or by email at office@evolveins.com to notify us of your claim and we will file it for you and contact you as soon as possible.

Homeowners Insurance Carriers - Claim Contact Information:

Flood Insurance Carriers - Claim Contact Information:

Should you need to contact our office, please do so in one of the following ways:
Email: office@evolveins.com
Phone: 941-244-2760 (You may need to leave a voicemail. If so, please leave a detailed message and we will return your call as soon as possible.)

We hope you and your family stay safe, and we know we can all get through this time by coming together.

Thank You,
Evolve Insurance Agency

Photo courtesy of SpaceX via Pexels.com

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