Filing a homeowners claim after a hurricane

After a hurricane, report the damage to every insurer that might owe you money, as soon as it is safe, and do it in writing or through the insurer's app so you have a record. A hurricane usually produces more than one claim: wind damage under your homeowners policy, flood damage under a separate flood policy and, in some coastal areas, wind damage under a state wind pool. Each has its own claim number, adjuster and deadlines, and the first week is about stopping further damage and building the record, not about settling the amount.

For the general mechanics of any property claim, see how to file a homeowners insurance claim. This guide covers what changes when a catastrophe hits a whole region.

The first 72 hours

1. Get safe. Do not enter a flooded or structurally damaged house, and stay clear of downed lines. Insurance can wait; people cannot.
2. Report the claim. Call the claim line on your declarations page or use the insurer's app, and get a claim number. Insurers get flooded with notices after a storm, so send an email or app message too. Report to your flood insurer, and to the wind pool if you have one.
3. Photograph and video the damage before you clean up. Capture each room, the roof and exterior from the ground, water lines on walls, and the contents. If you must discard spoiled or ruined items for health reasons, photograph them first, list them, and keep a sample where practical.
4. Stop further damage. Cover a roof opening, board a broken window, and shut off water or power where it is safe. The ISO form pays the reasonable cost of necessary measures taken solely to protect covered property from further damage (HO 00 03 05 11). Keep receipts. Do not start permanent repairs before the insurer has had a chance to inspect, unless the insurer says to proceed. See reasonable repairs: what you can fix before the adjuster comes.
5. Start a living-expense log. If the house is unfit to live in because of a covered loss, additional living expenses cover the increase over your normal costs: hotel, extra mileage, restaurant meals beyond your usual grocery bill. Keep every receipt. Ask whether the insurer will issue an advance. See loss of use and additional living expenses.
6. Keep a claim diary. Write down the date, time, name and what was said in each call, and confirm important points by email.

More detail on the earliest steps is in the first 48 hours after damage to your home.

One storm, several claims

Wind and flood are separate policies, so they are separate claims. The homeowners insurer will not pay for flood or storm surge, and the flood policy will not pay for wind. When both hit one house, expect two adjusters who each look for a reason the damage belongs to the other policy. Document the high-water line on walls and any evidence of wind damage that came first, such as missing shingles, broken windows or a breached door. wind vs water: the hurricane claim dispute explains how that argument runs, and the ISO exclusion language is covered in hurricane coverage: wind, flood and storm surge.

Flood claims have a short, strict clock. The standard NFIP policy requires prompt written notice and a signed, sworn proof of loss within 60 days after the loss (44 CFR Part 61, Appendix A(1)%20to%20Part%2061)). FEMA has extended that window in some disasters. For Hurricane Helene, a December 2024 FEMA bulletin set it at 180 days from the date of loss (FEMA W-24018). Do not count on an extension; ask your flood adjuster for the date in writing. The process is in how to file a flood insurance claim.

What the homeowners claim looks like

After a major storm, insurers commonly bring in extra catastrophe and independent adjusters, so the person who inspects may not be a local employee (catastrophe adjusters and storm deployments). Florida permits electronic and drone inspections (Fla. Stat. 627.70131), and other insurers do desk reviews from photographs. The adjuster writes an estimate, often in Xactimate software, and the insurer then decides coverage, applies the deductible and issues payment. Your contractor's estimate will probably differ, and that gap is normal; see xactimate, contractor bids and estimate disputes. If the offer is far lower than your contractor's, use the steps in the last section.

Here is how a payment can look, with invented numbers. Say your dwelling limit is $400,000 and your hurricane deductible is 2%, or $8,000. The adjuster prices roof and interior wind damage at $52,000 of replacement cost and assigns $11,000 of depreciation.

The total is the $52,000 cost less the $8,000 deductible. If your policy has an actual-cash-value roof endorsement, some of the held-back amount may never be paid (recoverable depreciation: getting the rest of your claim). Living expenses are paid separately, under a different coverage.

The clocks that apply to the insurer, and to you

State laws set how quickly insurers must move and how long you have to act. These vary widely, so treat the table as a sample and check your own state's insurance department.

Your policy also sets conditions: prompt notice, a sworn proof of loss when the insurer requests it (the ISO HO-3 allows 60 days after the request), and cooperation with the investigation. See the proof of loss form and its deadlines.

Who to be wary of

Storm zones attract contractors, and not all are honest. Never sign a contract or an assignment of benefits under pressure. Florida banned assignments for policies issued on or after January 1, 2023, but the pattern persists elsewhere (assignment of benefits: what to know before you sign). A roofer who offers to absorb your deductible is asking you to take part in something that state law restricts. In Texas, a seller who promises to pay, waive or absorb the deductible without the insurer's consent commits a Class B misdemeanor (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 27.02), and Florida makes it a felony for a contractor to do so with intent to injure, defraud or deceive (contractor fraud after storms: how it works and how to stop it). Check licenses and get at least two written estimates.

Public adjusters are licensed professionals who work for the policyholder, usually for a percentage of the recovery. The case for them is that a large or complicated hurricane claim takes time and expertise most owners lack. The case against is the fee, which comes out of your payment, and the fact that many straightforward claims resolve without one. You are not required to hire one. See public adjusters: when to hire one and what they cost.

If the claim stalls or the offer is low

1. Ask for the adjuster's estimate and the policy provisions behind any denial or reduction, in writing.
2. Send your contractor's itemized estimate and photographs, and ask the insurer to reinspect.
3. Use the state's mediation program if one exists, such as Florida's DFS program or Louisiana's hurricane mediation.
4. File a complaint with your state insurance department (how to file a complaint with your state insurance department).
5. Consider appraisal if the policy has an appraisal clause and the dispute is over amount (the appraisal clause: settling a claim value dispute), and talk to an attorney about legal remedies before a suit deadline passes.

Government aid does not replace any of this. FEMA's Individuals and Households Program grants averaged $2,704 per household from 2020 to 2024, according to FEMA's NFIP media toolkit. See FEMA disaster assistance vs insurance: what each pays.

Key takeaways

• Report to every insurer that may owe you (homeowners, flood, wind pool) promptly, get claim numbers, and keep a written log.
• Photograph before cleanup, protect the property from further damage and keep every receipt, including living expenses.
• Wind and flood are separate claims with separate deadlines; the NFIP standard policy requires a proof of loss within 60 days unless FEMA extends it.
• State claim clocks differ, so check your own insurance department; Florida, Texas and Louisiana have catastrophe-specific rules.
• Do not sign over your claim to a contractor, and use mediation, a complaint or appraisal if the payment stalls.