What is the claims process for my property’s windstorm damage? This blog article was written by SWAT Public Adjusters – Thanks for reading this article. We want to ensure your property windstorm damage insurance claim is handled properly the first time.
SWAT Public Adjusters work for you not the insurance company and we want to help you get all the money you are entitled to. The SWAT Public Adjusting firm has been proudly serving the Lousiana area for a long time. We want to share simple ways to help you plan, prepare and get ready for a hurricane claim to your storm-damaged Louisiana property.
What is the claims process for my property’s windstorm damage?
Storm Damage – what is it exactly?
A storm is defined as any disturbed state of an environment or atmosphere affecting its surface and strongly implying severe weather. These conditions can include strong wind, hail, lightning (thunderstorm), heavy precipitation (snowstorm, rainstorm), heavy freezing rain (ice storm), strong winds (tropical cyclone, tornado, windstorm), or wind transporting some substance through the atmosphere as in a dust storm, blizzard, sandstorm, and so on. Keep in mind that every storm is different based on your location.
Does my insurance carrier look at Wind / Windstorm Damage as something special?
The short answer is yes. High-velocity winds can damage your residential or business property in a matter of minutes. It is impossible to predict the timing, strength, and potential damage of any storm. A windstorm is a covered peril on a standard homeowner’s insurance policy, it will also have a provision for making temporary repairs.
You should take the necessary steps to protect your property from residential windstorm damage. You may have tarps installed on the roof, siding, or broken windows to protect the interior from water damage.
High winds can cause debris to fly into your home or structure, cause trees to fall and lift parts of your home loose, even ripping shingles from your structure. Gusts of wind at 75 to 85 miles per hour can easily raise poorly sealed shingles off your home in a second, exposing your roof to additional water damages. Microbursts, macro bursts, firestorms, gales, and other wind phenomena can all produce damaging winds.
What causes wind storms?
Here is what causes a wind storm. The longer-period windstorms have two main causes: (1) large differences in atmospheric pressure across a region and (2) strong jet-stream winds overhead. Horizontal pressure differences may accelerate the surface winds substantially as air travels from a region of higher atmospheric pressure to one of lower.
Catastrophic windstorms are most frequent in the Central, Northeast, West, and Northwest climate regions, and least often in the High Plains. More than half of the catastrophes (56 percent) occurred in only one state.
Why is the wind stronger in a storm?
These winds arise due to the big difference between low pressure and high pressure in the vicinity. This pressure gradient brings about the winds. The greater the pressure difference (from high to low) and the closer they are to each other, the stronger the winds will be.
Most Powerful Hurricane EVER Recorded – Over 200 mph-typhoon. It is the most powerful weather storm ever recorded in our history. Super Typhoon (called Hurricanes in the U.S.) The Super Typhoon named Haiyan hit the Philippines with winds over 220 miles per hour! Never before have such wind speeds been recorded in human history.
What is the windiest part of a hurricane? – The strongest winds in a northern hemisphere tropical cyclone are located in the eyewall and the right front quadrant of the tropical cyclone. Severe damage is usually the result when the eyewall of a hurricane, typhoon, or cyclone passes over land.
Where are the greatest winds in a hurricane? – Hurricanes can be broken down into four quadrants and while all sides are dangerous, the most destructive is the right front quadrant. This is due to the forward motion contributing to the rotation of the storm. This side of the storm tends to have higher winds, higher storm surges, seas, and the highest rainfall.
Yet the strongest winds are located circling the center eye are the eyewall winds, the strongest in the hurricane. In literal seconds you can pass from the relative calm of the eye into the 150-mph winds of the wall (depending on the strength of the storm). The experience of being in the eye of a hurricane is entirely different via the ocean.
Are winds stronger on east or west side of hurricane?
The direction of hurricane winds makes the right side of a storm worse, NOAA says. The winds spiral counterclockwise around the storm’s center in addition to its forward movement. … On the other side of the storm, winds will be slower because “you must subtract the wind velocity from the forward velocity,” NOAA says.
The storm surge exists on the east side also called by many ‘the dirty side’ because winds spin around the storm counterclockwise, meaning the wind in this sector blows onshore, pushing water onto land. Typically, the faster the wind speed and forward motion of the hurricane, the higher the storm surge will be.
With all that being said – here are the four stages of the insurance claim cycle. There are four basic steps to the life cycle of an insurance claim – submission, processing, adjudication, and payment/denial.
Let’s look at the step-by-step understanding of the insurance claims process.
Connect with your broker. Your broker is your primary contact when it comes to your insurance policy – they should understand your situation and how to proceed. Once you give your broker a detailed list of all the items that were damaged or lost, and any photos or videos that help to explain the circumstances, an adjuster will follow up with you to continue the claims process. We strongly recommend that you call us before speaking with a staff adjuster. (SWAT Public Adjusting Firm wants to ensure you get all the claim monies you are entitled to receive.)
Claim investigation begins. After the claim has been reported, it will need to be investigated by an adjuster who represents the best interests of the insurance company to determine the amount of loss or damages covered by your insurance policy. The adjuster will also identify any liable parties, and you can help the process by providing any witness information or other parties’ contact information. Again, we strongly recommend that you call us before speaking with a staff adjuster. (SWAT Public Adjusting Firm wants to ensure you get all the claim monies you are entitled to receive.)
Your policy is reviewed. Once the investigation is complete, the adjuster will go through your policy carefully to determine what is and isn’t covered under your policy, and inform you of any applicable deductibles that may apply to your case.
Damage evaluation is conducted. In order to accurately evaluate the extent of the damage, your insurance adjuster may hire appraisers, engineers, or contractors to lend their expert advice. Once the evaluation is complete, your adjuster will provide you with a list of preferred vendors to help with repairs. You’re not obligated to hire these vendors, but it can save you a good deal of time and research.
Payment is arranged. After repairs have been completed and lost or damaged items have been replaced, your adjuster will contact you regarding the settlement of your claim and payment. The amount of time it takes to receive payment will depend on the complexity and severity of your situation.
Thanks for reading – What is the claims process for my property’s windstorm damage?
Public adjusting solutions are possible with SWAT, we work for you. We hope you have learned a little bit from this blog article and if you liked it – we have many more like this one to share with you. Remember to follow us on Facebook!
A little bit about us, we can work with people in support of any claim adjusting issues through our custom insurance claims public adjusting approach. This can be achieved through a blend of professional service offerings, as well as through outsourcing, data analysis, and the development of customized solutions focused on gaining a greater understanding of the program
issues and the overall program cost reduction potential. We know this sounds confusing but when it comes to getting the outcome that you desire from the insurance company – we work on many different public adjusting strategies to get it done.
Our team also can focus on medical treatment and medical costs, helping a small business owner develop strategies, address cost drivers, and integrate solutions into its workers’ compensation while the small business is closed due to hurricane storm damage issues. So reach out to us today via our contact page to get started.
