Tag: Hurricane

Hurricane Irma Damage

Hurricane Irma has now passed through Florida and she has left much damage behind.  The path of the storm destroyed the beautiful Florida Keys with a direct hit in the Middle Keys.  Many of you who may have been affected by the storm will face a long and stressful struggle to repair, rebuild, and replace your homes and your businesses.  Insurance companies sold wind and flood policies to Florida consumers like you and did so with the promise of protecting you after a hurricane, storm surge, and flood.

As important as it is to prepare for the arrival of the storm, it is just as important to make sure that your insurance company provides you full, complete, and timely payment so that you can quickly begin to rebuild your home and your business and put your life back together.  The steps you take immediately after the storm are crucial.  You must preserve and present your claim to your insurance company in the proper manner so that you can obtain a fair, just, and timely payment from the insurance company who has been collecting your premiums for years.  It is time now for the insurance that you paid for to justify its existence.  The insurance companies who sell the homeowners policies and business owners policies must pay you the compensation that is required under the insurance policy and not deny, delay, and decrease your payment.

If your home, condominium, apartment, or business has been damaged by a hurricane, storm surge, or flood, you deserve a well-qualified, well-recognized law firm that you can trust to fight for you. The lawyers at The Ellsley Law Firm have recovered millions of dollars on behalf our clients.

Please call us at 1-877-STORMLAW or (877) 786-7652 for a free consultation.

Homeowners Policies for Windstorm Coverage

Flooding and high winds are the causes of destruction from tropical storms and hurricanes.  Certain storms bring high winds that exceed the classification of what a standard homeowners insurance policy covers.

It is a good idea to buy additional coverage and add it to your homeowners insurance policy.  This additional coverage is generally required by most states along the Atlantic coast, and it is called Hurricane or Windstorm Coverage.  This type of coverage can cover the structure of your property, as well as the valuables inside.  Generally, if you live in a hurricane state or area, it is important to take the necessary precautions by adding this coverage to keep your family safe.

The Ellsley Law Firm specializes in reviewing the lengthy, complex, and often confusing insurance policies that cover wind damage, flood damage, and water damage.

Please call us at 1-877-STORM-LAW (786-7652) or (954) 888-7720 for a no-cost, no-obligation meeting to answer any questions or concerns that you may have regarding your insurance coverage.

Flood Insurance in Florida

When you live in a state such as Florida, you may experience a hurricane every few years.  You must make sure that you purchase both homeowners insurance as well as flood insurance to protect your home and business.  Many people have recently decided to opt out of flood insurance because they were told that their home or business is not in a flood zone.  That is a mistake.

It is important that a homeowner understand all aspects of a homeowners insurance policy and a flood insurance policy because each protects real property and personal property from different threats or perils.  Most standard homeowners and renters insurance policies do not cover flood damage. The standard policies will cover some damage from rain and water, but if your home is filled with water as a result of rising bodies of water, the policies will probably not cover you.

Please remember to purchase flood insurance, even if your home is not located in a designated flood zone because flooding frequently happens beyond flood zones.

These polices are contracts that are written by insurance companies and are designed to protect the insurance company at the expense of the consumer.

The Ellsley Law Firm specializes in reviewing the lengthy, complex, and often confusing insurance policies that cover wind damage, flood damage, and water damage.

Please call us at 1-877-STORMLAW or (877) 786-7652 for a no-cost, no-obligation meeting to answer any questions or concerns that you may have regarding your insurance coverage.

Damage Caused by Wind or Water

Following a natural disaster such as a hurricane, storm surge, tornado, or flood, your residential property or business may suffer damage caused by wind or water. This storm loss damage may require extensive repairs.  It could also be declared a total loss resulting from a variety of environmental and weather-related factors.

Every person who pays for insurance is called a policyholder.  Every policyholder has a right to be comfortable and confident that the insurance company will protect him or her when disaster happens. This is the exact reason that the policyholder consistently pays the premiums to the insurance company. The insurance company must promptly pay for the damages that were caused to the home or business. As often happens, insurance companies will do everything in their power to pay the least amount possible on a claim. They do this by saying that the damage is minimal or that the damage pre-existed the storm.

Insurance policies these days are lengthy, complex contracts that are full of exceptions and exclusions that make the policy very difficult to read.

If your home, condominium, apartment, or business has been damaged by a hurricane, storm surge, or flood, you deserve a law firm of tough lawyers that you can trust to fight for you.  The Ellsley Law Firm is here to help you.

Please call us at 1-877-STORMLAW or (877) 786-7652 for a free consultation.

Hurricane Resources

Hurricanes can be physically and emotionally catastrophic for the people affected by them. Property damage and home damage is almost inevitable for many folks who are in the path of the storm.  There are many resources provided by our federal government to assist those in need with food, shelter, clothing, and counseling.

These services are available throughout the State of Florida, especially in the areas that were hit the hardest.  The safety, health, and well-being of a community damaged or destroyed by natural disasters such as hurricanes is the highest priority of our leaders.  Before a hurricane, the US Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) typically coordinates with other federal response teams regarding where Management Assistance teams will be positioned to assist people by prioritizing areas that expect more destruction. Below are links to government agencies who assist people who are in need.

Please contact these agencies and utilize their resources.  Taxpayers fund these agencies and they serve a great purpose for all in need.

Resources

FEMA: https://www.fema.gov/

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA): http://www.va.gov/

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): https://www.epa.gov/

U.S. Government: https://www.usa.gov/disasters-and-emergencies/

U.S. Coast Guard: https://www.uscg.mil/