8 Steps For Filing an Insurance Claim After a Hurricane

Hurricanes cause the most damage of all weather disasters. One recent example, Hurricane Helene in 2024, wreaked havoc across Florida and Georgia, while the resulting rains and flooding decimated North Carolina, Virginia, and eastern Tennessee. The costs from Hurricane Helene are estimated to be $78.7 billion, and still counting. 

Hurricane Milton, also in 2024, came with a storm surge of up to 10 feet, spawned dozens of tornadoes, and resulted in damage costing over $34.3 billion. 

Hurricanes might not strike often, but when they do, they leave behind a big mess. If your house is part of that mess, you’ll need to file a homeowners insurance claim. 

Do you know what steps to take to start your recovery and file an insurance claim after a hurricane? If you work with an independent insurance agent, your first step should be to call your agent for the right coverage long before hurricane season. Your agent can help you through the claims process should the worst happen. 

Eight Steps For Filing an Insurance Claim After a Hurricane

The number one priority after any catastrophe is your and your loved ones' safety. Hurricane damage can alter the structure of your home and create potentially dangerous debris. Once you've ensured your safety and determined that the hurricane has passed, you can take these steps to assess the damage and get the claims process started. 

Step 1: Contact your insurance agent

Independent insurance agents do more than help you find coverage. They're also your advocate and provide expertise should you need to file a claim. If there's been a severe weather event, your agent will likely be aware of it and be waiting for your call. 

Your agent will let you know the proper steps to take to get the claims process started and help it move along smoothly. You can ask your agent as many questions as you need, including the following:

Step 2: Contact your insurance company

Your homeowners insurance company will also likely be aware of the hurricane, but you still need to contact them in order to report the damage and file a claim. This will be the first step that your insurance agent will take. If you don't have an insurance agent, you should contact your insurance company yourself. 

Your home insurance will cover any damage to the structure of your home, your property, and your personal belongings. If there is property damage due to flooding, you'll need to contact your flood insurance company to file a claim for any flood damage from the hurricane. And if you've got damage to vehicles, you'll work directly with your car insurance company to file a claim. 

In most cases, your home will not be the only home impacted by the hurricane. This could delay the response time from the insurance company, but carriers are required to respond to claims within a certain number of days. The insurance company is likely preparing for the claims to come in and will have a process in place for the next steps.

If the damage to your home is significant and you need temporary housing, your insurance company will work with you to find somewhere else to stay. 

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Step 3: Take inventory of the damage

Your insurance company is going to want to know everything that was lost in the hurricane. You may not be able to remember all of your possessions, which is why it's best to take inventory as soon as possible. If you have been keeping an inventory list of your personal belongings before the hurricane, it will be extremely helpful at this time.

Assuming it's safe to do so, walk through your home and take photos and videos of all the damage, including the large and small items that were impacted by the hurricane. You'll also want to write down any damage you see. Don't worry about how significant the damage is; your insurance company can sort that out. It's more important that you're as thorough as possible so that you're properly reimbursed. 

The insurance company will send a claims adjuster to come through your home and do their own assessment. It's valuable for the adjuster to have your list of damage to help the claims process go more quickly and ensure that no items are forgotten.

It’s likely that your insurance company will ask you to fill out a Proof of Loss. This is a great way to start listing all of your possessions. People often feel like the Proof of Loss is a tell-all for items destroyed in a hurricane, but if you think of items after you’ve turned in your Proof of Loss, you can still add them to your claim. 

Step 4: Prepare for the claims adjuster

Claims adjusters work with insurance companies to go to a home after a disaster, assess the damage, and report the overall cost back to the insurance company. Based on the adjuster's report, the insurance company determines how much it owes the homeowner for repairs and reimbursement. 

In most cases, the claims adjuster will contact you to schedule a time to come to your home within a couple of weeks. However, if the hurricane was severe and impacted thousands of homes, this may take longer. 

Adjusters will ask you for a variety of information regarding your home, possessions, and their value. It's best to get them this information as quickly as possible. The sooner you can provide answers, the sooner you can start rebuilding your home. 

Step 5: Start to rebuild or repair

After assessing the damage, you may be able to begin replacing items immediately. You'll also have a better idea of whether you'll need to fully rebuild the home or just repair parts of your home. To find qualified contractors, your insurance company will make suggestions, or you can select a contractor yourself. 

Any time you work with professional contractors to make repairs or upgrades to your home, you want to make sure of a few things:

• Are they properly licensed?
• Do they have insurance coverage?
• Are you certain they're approved by your insurance company? 
• Have you compared costs with other contractors?
• Are they being upfront about costs, materials, and details for the work you need? 

Unfortunately, it's common for fraudulent contractors to contact people who have recently been through a catastrophe. Asking the above questions can help you avoid being scammed. 

Once you start working with a contractor, you'll want to keep any receipts so you can provide them to your insurance company for reimbursement. 

Step 6: Document everything

Rebuilding a home after hurricane damage will include conversations with adjusters, contractors, your insurance agent, the insurance company, and many others. If possible, it can be valuable to keep the documentation of all your conversations in writing. This way, you can look back for key information should you need it. 

Beyond receipts from contractor work, you also want to keep receipts from any purchases, including hotel stays, rentals, cars, meals, etc. When an insurance company is reimbursing for a claim, it will not pay replacement costs until items are actually purchased. What's more, you'll likely be surprised by the things you can be reimbursed for through your home and auto insurance policies. 

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Step 7: Understand your rights

Home insurance is one of those insurance policies that everyone has, but they don't think about using. When you suddenly need to use your coverage, it's common not to be fully informed about your rights and the coverage that you should be receiving. Be sure to work with your independent insurance agent to understand how your home insurance should work for you after a catastrophe. 

Step 8. Make coverage changes for the future

Going through a catastrophe and filing a claim can reveal some gaps in your home insurance coverage and help you be better prepared for future incidents. In the unfortunate event that you have to deal with a hurricane, try to learn as much as you can from the process. Take note of what was easy versus what was complicated, where you thought you'd have protection and you didn't, and what could help next time.

You can then speak with your agent to make adjustments to your existing policy to be better prepared for the future. Insurance is supposed to work for you, and your agent can make sure that's what your coverage is set up to do.

How an Independent Insurance Agent Can Help You Get the Best Homeowners Insurance

If your home is damaged or destroyed by a hurricane, you'll have a lot on your mind in addition to filing a homeowners insurance claim. Independent insurance agents have been through the claims process many times and will know where to start, how to make the process go smoothly, and how to get you the reimbursement you're entitled to.

Independent agents have your back throughout the whole process. An agent is in your corner from the moment you set up a free consultation, get quotes, and choose a policy that best fits your needs and budget. Independent insurance agents are located across the U.S., making it easy to find one in your area.