TALLAHASSEE — Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 is forecast to make landfall in Florida as a potential major hurricane on Thursday, Sept. 26. Insurers stand ready to assist policyholders if their property is damaged or destroyed during the storm. There are steps homeowners can take before a storm strikes to help expedite the claims process afterwards. The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) recommends taking the following actions:

• Gather copies of your insurance policies. Keep copies of your insurance policies (home, flood, and auto) in a safe, dry, and accessible location or have your policy numbers saved.

• Save your insurer’s contact info. Save your insurer’s toll-free claims number to your cell phone’s contacts. APCIA has a list of insurer’s toll-free numbers here.
• Make a home inventory. Use your smartphone to take photos or videos of your belongings, such as furniture, appliances, clothes, lawn equipment, art, jewelry, and anything else of significant value. Save your inventory to a place where you can easily retrieve it, like the cloud, or email a copy to yourself. You can also check if your insurer has an app to assist policyholders with creating a home inventory.

“Insurers are prepared to surge claims representatives into the impacted areas to help customers begin the claims and recovery process,” said Logan McFaddin, vice president of state government relations for APCIA. “We urge those in the projected path of the storm to closely monitor the forecast, prepare their property, and heed all warnings from local officials.”

Damage associated with wind and other severe weather is typically covered under a standard homeowners, renters, or business policy. Flood damage is not typically covered under these policies but can be covered under a separate policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or the private insurance market if the homeowner has purchased flood insurance. Water damage to a vehicle is typically covered if the policyholder’s auto policy includes comprehensive insurance coverage.