Mother Nature continues to surprise us all, with many more and more weather events this year than ever. Starting with winter freeze storm Uri, which severely impacted the entire Southern region. Accuweather has reported estimates that the multistate damage model will exceed $155 billion plus. They went on to report that the Texas portion of that damage is estimated to be over $130 billion.
Since the freeze, we have had multiple large scale hail & wind events throughout the region, as well as flooding, tornadoes, fires, and now Hurricane Ida! Analyst from Fitch Ratings expect the insured losses from Hurricane Ida to surpass Winter Storm Uri as the costliest insured catastrophe this year in the United States!
Other notable worldwide weather events this year include: (Summer 2021 was the Hottest on Record in the Contiguous U.S. - according to NOAA.)
- Hurricane Larry threating Bermuda and Newfoundland
- Hurricane Olaf impacting Southern Baja
- Typhoon Chanthu threatening Taiwan
- Mediterranean Wildfires
- Flooding in Germany
- 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Mexico
With this amount of extreme weather events resulting in massive property damage, there will inevitably be large scale waves of underpayments, denials, and the delays of insurance claims by various carriers. While some claims may be handled in a proper manner, we have seen an uptick in the mishandling of insurance claims as 2021 continues to progress.
As a property owner and policyholder, you might ask yourself what one can do to help lessen the damage impact of these worldwide weather events.
Here are a few tips to consider:
- Always pay attention to your local weather forecast- both daily and extended
- Heed evacuation alerts
- Do a yearly review of your insurance policies with your agent
- Document - take pictures and record a physical inventory of your house (interior, exterior, and belongings)
- Keep a full copy of your insurance policy on hand, as well as a digital copy
- Have a local qualified roofer/inspector take a look at your property on a quarterly basis, and document the property condition
- Keep receipts from daily living expenses after a claim, as well as all monies spent on mitigation
- Keep a list of emergency #s handy, including: fire department, police department, ambulance/911, insurance claims department, and a good policyholder attorney
The Voss Law Firm, P.C. has been protecting policyholders’ rights for the past sixteen years, recovering billions of dollars in settlements for our clients.
Feel free to call, or email today for a free consultation on your file.
We are 100% contingency fee based. No recovery, no fee.
Todd Farr - Director of Client Relations: 832-278-9378.
