In order to help residents prepare for the next major hurricane that will inevitably make landfall, the Florida Chief Financial Officer started the Prepare Florida initiative. Even in a state where hurricanes make landfall somewhat regularly, many homeowners and other residents do not take the treat of a major storm seriously. This initiative is designed to give people in the state the resources they need to prepare both financially and physically.
The Prepare Florida initiative features a website that includes many different resources, including an Emergency Preparedness Toolkit, natural disaster guide, flood insurance guide, information on the Assignment of Benefits process and tips for how the homeowner insurance claim process works. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expecting an average hurricane season in 2019, meaning they anticipate about eight named storms to form in the Atlantic.
Hurricane Michael and Florence both struck the southern U.S. in 2018, causing loss of life and major structural damage across wide areas. Many homes and businesses were flooded and damaged. Recovery costs have been estimated to reach into the tens of billions of dollars, but some of the damage could have been mitigated had people been properly prepared. Taking precautions could have also saved many lives.
Unfortunately for many homeowners who’ve gone through a hurricane, some insurance companies do everything they can to deny claims made after natural disasters. Those who get their claim denied may be able to fight the decision by getting assistance from a lawyer who practices in hurricane damage claims. Just because an insurance company denies a claim at first doesn’t mean that they can’t be held legally responsible for a payout.
Source: Insurance Journal, “New ‘Prepare Florida’ Initiative Offers Hurricane Preparedness Resources,” 06/12/2019