NOTIFY YOUR INSURANCE AGENT IMMEDIATELY. Be sure to leave an address and phone number posted securely on the outside of the property where you can be reached if you are unable to remain on the property.
CALL A PUBLIC ADJUSTER to give you an objective analysis of your loss at no charge to determine whether or not you can benefit from their assistance in handling your claim. A Public Adjuster, when hired, will assist you with all the steps that follow so that you can go about your daily routine without interruption and unnecessary stress.
DOCUMENT the date that you report your claim, the name of the person you spoke with, and an outline of your conversation. Request that the insurance company employee who you spoke with call you back expediently with a CLAIM NUMBER.
TAKE PHOTOS of, or videotape the property immediately to document the damage both inside and outside.
Immediately after taking photos, PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY ONLY TEMPORARILY from further damage. Make only TEMPORARY repairs to your property such as boarding up windows, covering holes in the roof with a tarp, etc. Keep receipts for the cost of these temporary repairs and record all expenditures.
Allow no clean-up or any permanent repairs to your damaged property until your insurance adjuster has been to your property, reviewed the damages with you and/or your Public Adjuster, and you have received a FINAL settlement amount in writing from the insurance company on the repair/replacement cost and contents loss, which is to your SATISFACTION.
Protect your property the best you can from theft and vandalism.
You can receive valuable information, during and following a hurricane, from the Federal Emergency Management Association at: FEMA