LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WBBH) – John Efthimion gained’t overlook what it appeared like after Hurricane Irma blew by means of in 2017. In his Island Park neighborhood, houses appeared like they have been on islands.
“This street was about a foot underwater at least, maybe a foot and a half,” he recalled. “We were lucky, the house is still there. No windows are broken or anything like that.”
But, because it turned out, there was harm to Efthimion’s roof.
“Dealing with my own insurance company wasn’t very difficult at all,” he mentioned. “I made a phone call. They decided, yes, it needed to be replaced, and work was started about a month later.”
It doesn’t at all times go that easily for everybody.
Ahead of Hurricane Ian, insurance agent, Kevin Greenwell defined which you can put together by having a duplicate of your coverage on the prepared and by taking movies of your property.
“And keep in mind that your insurance agency may be closed, they may lose power or internet like we did during Irma,” Greenwell mentioned. “If you do have damage or you think you have damage, I would suggest getting in line by getting a claim opened directly with the insurance carrier as soon as possible.”
It’s additionally vital to know what you possibly can’t do at this level.
“We’ve had a lot of people reach out already: no, you can’t buy flood insurance, it’s too late. You can’t make changes to your policy. You can’t increase coverage, you can’t change deductibles. You’re very limited once the storm gets into that cone,” Greenwell defined.
If your residence is broken by Ian, Greenwell cautioned to be cautious of contractors who rush to ask you to signal what’s referred to as an ‘assignment of benefits.’
“It’s basically, you are assigning away your rights to the claim to the contractor. You’re saying that I give you the authority to represent me,” he defined.
It’s one thing Greenwell advises in opposition to doing.
“Not all contractors have your best interest in mind… we’ve seen that,” he mentioned. “They could be inflating the cost of that claim above and beyond what it needs to be. And then, therefore, that creates higher insurance premiums for everybody.”
Greenwell defined that lawsuits over these varieties of claims have, partially, led to the issues we’ve seen within the state’s insurance business. He mentioned the business remains to be ready on lawmakers to provide you with options.
The insurance firm that lined Efthimion after Irma is amongst people who have since gone below. Now, he’s paying $1,500 extra per 12 months than earlier than.
“What are you gonna do? You gotta have it,” he mentioned. “The biggest thing is to be prepared for the worst. And hopefully, it doesn’t get as bad as everyone thinks it’s gonna be.”
