A flood is a nightmare scenario for any property owner. It is bad enough when you have some water damage to your property, but how about an endless stream of water that forms on the inside and outside of your property? If your entire floor is covered with water, then it is a flood. You can expect to see a lot of damage to your structure as a result of that flood.
An overflow of water can happen for lots of reasons. That is why floods make up 90% of the total natural disasters that occur in the United States, according to the National Flood Insurance Program. You may have a flood because of heavy rainfall, hurricanes, clogged drainage system, dam failures, or other plumbing problems. In most cases, property owners are not the cause of the floods. They happen because of situations that were out of their control.
Unfortunately, the average insurance policy does not cover flood damage. It may cover basic water damage, wind damage, and even hurricane damage, but not flood damage. Policyholders typically have to purchase flood coverage separately as an additional option to their insurance policy. Either that or they’ll have to go to another insurance provider to get flood coverage.
A lot of property owners don’t even realize that their insurance policy doesn’t cover flood damage. That is why you should review your insurance policy to see whether flood protection is offered or not. If you don’t have flood protection and you own a home or business in Florida, then you might want to consider purchasing that protection.
Florida is prone to hurricanes and heavy rain each year now, so the odds of flood damage occurring are greater than ever. When you choose to have flood damage coverage, you are protecting your home or business from a likely disaster. Floods can cause an extraordinary amount of damage to your property. They could even destroy your property and leave it condemned.
That is the main reason why basic water damage insurance coverage doesn’t apply to floods. Insurance companies realize that flood damage may cost them tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. On top of that, flood damage cases are increasing every year. So, insurance companies create separate flood damage policies in order to accumulate more revenue from the specialized premiums for it.
What to Do After a Flood
Has a flood caused damage to your property? If so, the first thing you must do is document the incident immediately. Take photographs of the damage and notify your insurance company right away. If you are able to remove the floodwater, then you will be expected to do so. But that may not always be in your power, especially if the flood was caused by the weather.
If a clogged drainage system or burst pipe caused the flood, then you will be expected to fix those problems and prevent the source of the flood from making it worse. After you’ve stopped the source, you can work on draining the floodwater from your home. The damage that’s left in the aftermath is the damage that you’ll need to document.
Do you see a lot of debris and mold left behind in the aftermath? You must clean up all debris and mold that you see if it is there. Insurance companies want to see that you’ve taken active steps to prevent further damage. Debris and mold removal are a big part of your responsibility as a property owner. Just make sure you photograph the damage before you remove it. You may be able to file a mold damage claim too.
Hire a Flood Damage Claim Lawyer
If your property experiences flood damage and you have flood protection, then your insurance company should approve your claim. However, you may end up dealing with an insurance company that wants to save money by denying your floor damage claim. Due to the amount of damage that floods may cause, your insurance company will have to pay a lot of money just to satisfy that one claim. If they can find a loophole or excuse not to pay your claim, they will do so.
Fortunately, there is a way for you to prevent this from happening. If you hire a flood damage claim lawyer to represent you, then your insurance company will think twice before denying your flood damage claim. The Louis Law Group has handled flood damage cases for over 20 years. We know how to work with insurance companies to ensure that they approve flood damage claims.
