As many victims of the Louisiana floods have become painfully aware, a standard home owner’s, business owner’s or renter’s insurance policy will likely not cover flood damage. Moreover, many flood insurance companies will try to deny flood claims because the insurance companies will try to categorize the damages as water damage, and, therefore, not covered by flood insurance. There are three basic steps needed to file a flood insurance claim: notify your insurer, document the damage, and fill out a “Proof of Loss” statement. The steps are described in greater detail below. If you are struggling with filing a claim or if you have been denied by your Louisiana flood insurance company, J. Price McNamara ERISA Insurance Claim Attorney are prepared to help you today.
Step-by-Step Process to Filing a Flood Insurance Claim:
Step 1: Notify Your Insurer
- Before you contact your flood insurance company: have your policy number ready as well as all of your contact information – including your email – ready to give to the insurance agent
- After talking with your flood insurance agent, make sure to get a clear understanding of what you should expect in the upcoming days and weeks.
- Ask the agent for the name of the adjuster (if there is one) assigned to your claim and when you should expect to hear from the adjuster regarding your claim.
- In the event that you do not hear from your agent, adjuster or insurance company with a few days of filing your claim, call them again. Also, remember that the J. Price McNamara ERISA Insurance Claim Attorney are here to help you!
Step 2: Document All Damages
- Your insurance company will require detailed documentation of all of the damages to the inside and outside of your home or business caused by the flood.
- Document all the damage your home or business has by writing down descriptions of the damage, as well as photographing all of the damages described.
- For any items that may have been lost (or damaged beyond recognition) in the flood, document each item by describing the item as well as any proof of purchase, value of the item, or any other documentation describing details of the lost item.
- In the event that items are required to be cleared away from your home or business to prevent mold or further damage, be sure to take comply with the removal of these items after you have photographed them and documented each item.
Step 3: Fill out a Proof of Loss Form
- Your insurance company will require a signed Proof of Loss form as a sworn statement for the total damages you are claiming.
- This form must be filled out within 60 days of the flood.
- For more details and to see an example of the FEMA Proof of Loss form, go to the link here: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/9343.