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Common Sense Tips for 2013 Hurricane Season
Forecasts Predict 2013 Hurricanes to be Worse Than Expected!
The forecasts are predicting more than our fair share of hurricane and storms in 2013. As many as 18 tropical storms are predicted, with 9 scheduled to become hurricanes! With recent disasters in New Jersey, New York, Georgia and Florida, Now is the time to prepare and get ready, in case a natural disaster strikes your home!
Here are some practical tips you can do now, to brace for any storms headed your way. Prepare your home, business, or building before disaster strikes!
- Take photos of your property and photos of your home or business in every room, before you have any damage. Be able to show how the property looked before anything happens. This can be photographs, video, or both. You can also try the free software Vault Box link that can help you: https://www.advocateclaims.com/vaultbox
- Get the pictures developed (or use video) and store them in a safety deposit box, a fire-proof safe, or other place that will remain protected. With Hurricane Sandy, entire walls were knocked down from homes and buried in the sand, and homes lifted and moved. Don’t count on being able to find small metal boxes or small safes after a major disaster has occurred. Store it in a safe place, away from your home. Log on to our free VaultBox software at
https://www.advocateclaims.com/vaultbox
What you can do after a natural disaster strikes:
- Take photos of the damage before you touch anything, move anything, or clean up anything! This is the proof of the damage. You will need this as “evidence”, so be sure not to throw anything away. Even if it’s a mess that you are tired of looking at, don’t remove the damage until you get your adjuster’s estimate of damages.
- Make only temporary, emergency repairs, such as boarding up broken windows, removing water from your floors, or adding protective cover over your roof. Don’t start any renovation projects until the damage has been totally assessed and thoroughly documented and you have a full and complete settlement.
- Keep samples of the carpet and flooring as proof of the quality of the material. If you have to throw away carpets or flooring, be sure to cut samples from them before you get rid of them!
- Don’t expect your claim to be fully settled in less than a week. Keep a log book with dates, times, and names of anyone you talked to; from your insurance company, or others. By hiring Advocate Claims Public Adjusters as your insurance adjuster, you can know that they will take care of all of the correspondence and the negotiations! By hiring a private claims adjuster, you are selecting a representative on your behalf, rather than trusting whatever the insurance company says. Experienced policy-holders know that this means less work for them, but more money from their insurance claim settlement!
- Don’t rush the process, and take your time. If your insurance representative only stayed 30-60 minutes and made a small sheet of notes before he left your home, I would advise you to ask for a second opinion. After you see the short list of their “approved repairs”, just call Advocate Claims to have it reviewed. Don’t leave your entire home in the hands of one person’s opinion! Call and get a free second opinion of your insurance claim before you settle on a low number that won’t repair all the damages.
Advocate Claims Public Adjusters will demand that you get what you are entitled to.
Don’t settle for less! Call Advocate Claims Public Adjusters before you submit your insurance claim.
Empowering the Policyholder
1-954-369-0573
