After the Storm
First and foremost, don’t mistake the eye of the storm for the end of the storm. You may even see the sun, but this is simply the calm before the back side of the storm hits. Don’t be tricked into wandering out to start investigating damage. Stay close to home and when the clouds start rolling in, head back inside to the safety of your home.
Once the storm has ended, everyone naturally wants to venture out and see the damage. Be extremely careful. There will be a lot of debris, broken tree limbs that have not yet fallen to the ground, and potentially downed power lines. Take precaution and be very alert of your surroundings as you move about. Check in on your neighbors and make sure everyone is safe.
File that insurance claim. Do not delay in getting your claim filed. As soon as the storm has ended, inspect your home and property. If you find any damage, file a claim. Insurance carriers handle claims on a first come, first serve basis. There will be thousands of insurance claims, so the sooner you file a claim, the sooner your claim will be handled. If you decide later that the damage isn’t substantial enough, you can always cancel the claim, but you can’t get to the top of the list if you delay that initial call.
As a client of LotzCo, Inc., we will being performing a visual triage inspection of our client’ properties, as soon as it is safe to do so. This is a quick inspection to take inventory of damage. You will be notified of our findings, but no repairs will be done during this inspection. Once all homes have been inspected, we will begin returning to homes in order of priority based upon the damage. We will take photographs and provide you with information to help you file your insurance claim.
In some cases, repairs may not be able to wait for insurance agents to inspect. Should this be the case, we will do everything we can to secure temporary repairs to avoid further damage. Keep in mind that as a long-time residential contractor in Palm Beach County, LotzCo, Inc. has worked with many well qualified, trustworthy companies who are licensed and insured. It is our intention to do everything we can to ensure you don’t fall victim to the unqualified, unlicensed, uninsured and untrustworthy individuals who come out in droves after a storm to prey on those in need of assistance during these stressful times.