A tornado, whether you expect it or not, could be an event that leaves your home and property in terrible shape. After the winds and rain die down, you should take certain precautions to ensure your safety to limit the damage to your home and get help from your insurance company if need be. Knowing what steps to take care of your home after a tornado can be confusing. Let us shine a light on the process.
Stay Alert
Finding a way to stay on top of the situation outside while you are hunkering down in your home is paramount. Will you have to evacuate? Ensure you have access to radio, internet, or television. Keeping up with the weather news can reduce any confusion or anxiety impacting those affected by a significant tornado. Having real-time updates and advisories will keep you informed about what is going on in and around your home and serve to give you peace of mind.
Start your Inspection
While you may be keen to assess damage to your home immediately, it puts you at unnecessary risk. You are safer, and it is easier to do the full-walk-around inspection of your home and the entire yard during daylight; it will also make it easier to take photos of any damage. Grab a camera or phone to take pictures and to make any notes about damage to your property; this will be a huge help for any insurance claims. Don’t forget to document any damage you find. Even a small issue could lead to significant problems in the coming months. It would be best to hold on to any receipts and invoices for work done to your home.
To file a claim or to not file a claim
After you have taken the time to inspect your home, inside and out, and have a proper understanding of the severity of the damage, it's your opportunity to decide whether the after-effects warrant an insurance claim. If the cost of damages done during the storm exceeds your home insurance deductible, the standard protocol is to file the claim.
Avoid Storm-Chasers
Your insurance company is your reliable source for repair assistance; however, if your damage doesn’t warrant filing a claim, just be wary. The best contractors usually don’t go door-to-door. You can still ask your insurance company for a list of reliable contractors or another option is to search online for a highly-rated local service. For more information about this, please click HERE.
Hippo is here to help
If you’ve gone through a tornado, or even a very severe storm recently, or you live somewhere that such weather is typical, be sure to keep these steps in mind to get your house back in operating order quickly. Tornadoes or extreme wind conditions can result in severe damage to your yard and home, which is why you should inspect your property as soon as it is safe to do so following the storm. Avoiding any immediate clean-up and/or disposal of property and documenting any damage you find is very important because even a small issue could lead to significant problems in the coming months. It is also a best practice to hold on to any receipts and invoices for work done to your home.
Hippo is here to support you in any way we can. Our team understands what you’re going through, and we are experts in handling your claim care. It is important to our team that we provide the guidance and support you need to get you back to normal as fast as possible.
