Commentary by Ed Zebersky:
But that doesn’t mean that a hurricane cannot strike at any time. I remember vacationing with my family when on August 24, 2006 we heard something on CNN about a tropical storm named Katrina which was headed towards Cuba. The next day it took a shift and struck South Florida, crossed the state and then destroyed the wonderful city of New Orleans. People’s lives were changed forever. Mother Nature is not always kind. What can we do? First, make up a plan. Before every hurricane season, I make sure that I have a full stock of provisions in my house including drinking water and canned foods. I also make sure that my flashlights have working batteries and that I have a fan and radio that will work off of battery power. Also make sure that you have windstorm insurance that will pay for damages caused by a hurricane and that you have the right amount of insurance. Second, be diligent. Watch the weather. The National Hurricane Center has gotten much better at predicting the path of a hurricane and most of the time you will have at least 72 hours advanced notice before a hurricane actually strikes your house. Early preparation will make your life a lot easier and will limit the stress that you have. Third, make sure that your preparation is done early and that you find a nice safe part of your house to let the storm pass. Lastly, do not leave your house in the middle of the storm. This can be very dangerous as there can be flying debris, downed power lines and other perils.
If a hurricane does hit please make sure that your family and neighbors are ok. Then contact your insurance company and make a claim. Make sure that the insurance company sends a representative to your house to evaluate your loss. If the adjuster sent by the insurance company seems to be telling you that much of your damaged is not covered under the policy or that much of the damage wasn’t caused by the hurricane become very cautious. Many of these adjusters are paid based on how much money they save the insurance company, including part of whatever you are shortchanged. If you need assistance please do not hesitate to contact us. We have helped thousands of persons and small businesses get recovery for losses which resulted from a hurricane. Let’s hope that you never need our services.
