Floridians experience hurricane season from June through November every year. Thoroughly preparing for hurricanes and the severe weather systems that come along with them could save your family’s lives.
There are many guidelines that are offered to Floridians. Yet, many remain concerned because they are not confident whether they have done enough to adequately protect their family’s from these destructive storms. This is a well-founded fear because devastating hurricanes often cause millions upon millions of dollars of damage to our homes, businesses, to Florida’s Coastline.
For that reason, we have listed just a few tips so that you can begin to get ready for hurricane season in Florida.
Get Homeowners Insurance in Florida
Your home is one of your most valuable investments. That’s why it is so important and often required to have homeowner’s insurance in place. Even the best homeowner’s insurance policies may not cover all storm damage. It is therefore essential to secure the best possible homeowner’s policy to suit your needs.
A standard homeowner’s insurance policy may not cover you in the event that you have a flood in your home. However, you can often purchase flood insurance separately through the National Flood Insurance Program, or you can try to secure a private policy that provides coverage for floods.
Standard homeowner’s policies cover damage caused by wind, but Florida residents may need to buy additional windstorm insurance. If you have questions about your policy and want to review your coverages with an experienced homeowners insurance claims attorney, contact Schrier Law Group so that they can provide you with the information that you need to know for your family’s well-being.
Develop a Hurricane Preparedness Checklist
When a powerful storm system approaches, a clear plan can give your family confidence that they are safe. Knowing what your actions will be and what procedures you will take ahead of time will often prevent family members from acting while they are panicking and lead to more prudent decisions and outcomes. Aside from a good homeowner’s insurance policy, here are some specific steps you can take in your hurricane preparedness checklist:
- Write down your emergency phone numbers and keep them on your refrigerator, as well as near every phone in your residence. It would also be a good idea to save the emergency telephone numbers on your cell phone.
- Choose a few emergency shelters that you can go to and plan multiple routes to each location, just in case one of the routes is not accessible. Save the locations in the GPS application on your phone beforehand to maximize the time and ability that you will have to get prepared.
- Make plans for your pets in the event of an evacuation: Pre-identify shelters, potential pet-friendly hotels, or speak with out-of-town friends or relatives to find out if you can bring your pets & stay with them. Local animal shelters may offer assistance as to what you can do with your pets in the event of a hurricane emergency.
- Keep your electronic devices with backup energy sources as fully charged as possible while still having electricity. Turning your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest settings could help food last longer in the event that you lose power.
- Prepare an emergency supply and first aid kit, just in case.
Stock Emergency Supplies
A hurricane can cut off your power and water supplies, and it’s obviously important to be prepared. You may not be able to drive because roads often become flooded or blocked by trees or telephone poles and/or lines. Stocking up on the following items can help you become better prepared for hurricane season:
- Emergency non-perishable food and water supply. Plan for at least a gallon of water per day
- Emergency medicine and medical supplies like a first aid kit. It’s a good idea to gather about a week’s worth of first aid supplies.
- Flashlights, extra batteries, and bulbs
- Safety and practicality items like a pocket knife, manual can opener, a whistle, and sunscreen. Also, gather several days’ worth of clothes.
- Important documentation, including your medical documents, COVID-19 vaccine records, wills, passports, and personal identification
- Fire extinguishers: make sure everyone in the house knows where it’s located and how it functions
- Battery-operated or hand-crank radio, extra batteries if needed
- Wet wipes, toilet paper, and other personal hygiene supplies
- Non-electronic entertainment sources, like board games, books, crayons, and cards
- Pet supplies, including food, fresh water, medications, and immunization records
Special Tips for Seniors in Florida During Hurricane Season
Hurricanes may strike without much warning, so it’s crucial for seniors, especially those with chronic illnesses, to be ready for them. If you or a loved one is older or disabled and can’t leave quickly, here’s some advice on what to do:
- Call the hospital, public health department, or the police about your special needs and get their recommendations
- Consider a respite stay at an assisted living community. Senior living communities have hurricane safety protocols in place to protect older adults and are required to have backup power generators.
- Establish designated meeting spots, including ones outside your neighborhood if you can’t return home
- Take photos and videos of your home and possessions just in case you have to make an insurance claim and upload the photos into the cloud for easy access.
Contact Schrier Law Group Today
Remember, any severe storm can be deadly and destructive. One of the best things you can do is to be prepared for the worst-case scenario and then stay up-to-date on what the emergency officials are advising.
It’s vital to keep your home and family safe during hurricane season. Call Schrier Law Group today and learn more about your options this hurricane season. Our experienced homeowner’s insurance attorneys are ready to help you gain peace of mind and compensation in the event that you sustain property damage, and your homeowner’s insurance company refuses to pay, or the insurance company refuses to pay the fare and proper cost to repair or to replace your damaged or destroyed property.
Schrier Law Group takes pride in reading every clause in your insurance policy to determine whether you can enforce the terms and conditions necessary to win your case. Insurance policies are contracts, and ambiguities within your contract or an insurance policy, shall be construed against the drafter of your insurance policy. We also rarely get paid by our clients when we accept a Homeowner’s case because the laws in Florida were designed to permit the prevailing party to get their attorney’s fees and costs paid by the losing party.
All of us at Schrier Law Group arrive at work each day in order to provide a benefit to our clients, and we are here to listen and get you the most possible lawful compensation for your Homeowner’s case. While we never want anyone to sustain damage to their homes, we will be here for you if you need to hire Schrier. Call Schrier Law Group, at (800) 700-PAUL, for a free case evaluation.
