When a storm hits or any other emergency occurs, the first thing on your mind is your loved ones. You want to make sure they are safe. In order to ensure their safety, though, you can’t just react—you need to have a family emergency plan in place. This is important for a variety of different emergencies that include fires, severe storms, and hurricanes.
Your Family Emergency Plan
Below are some considerations when you are putting together an emergency plan for your family:
Consider Your Specific Family’s Needs
All families are different and have their own unique needs. If you have a pet, you may need to have an emergency pet kit ready with food, bowls, water, and treats. If you have children, you may need to have diapers, formula, and clothing ready to go at a moment’s notice. You’ll also want to make sure all of your family’s files are somewhere safe that you can get to quickly. Consider a fireproof folder for birth certificates, social security cards, and even pet documents.
Have Your Evacuation and Shelter Options Ready
Evacuation and shelter are two things that are extremely important to consider, and you need to have some resources ready for a “worst-case scenario” situation.
Consider reading through these resources to be better prepared. Bookmark them for quick reference in case of emergency:
Consider Emergency Family Warnings
This one can be personalized to meet the needs of your specific family. A few examples of this may include:
- A specific text for an emergency (ex. “IMMEDIATE ATTENTION NEEDED,” “EMERGENCY,” “911,” etc.).
- A certain number of phone calls back-to-back (3 calls without someone picking up means an emergency).
- A list of phone numbers of friends that your family members may be spending time with that you can call in case your loved one isn’t answering their phone.
These can be used for a variety of different scenarios, with storm prep being one of them.
Prep Before the Hurricane
Along with creating a special family plan, there are certain prep steps you should consider overall. Below are some general prep tips for hurricane season:
- Have cash on hand
- Purchase battery-powered flashlights and radios
- Purchase non-perishable food and water bottles
- Purchase emergency shutters for your home
What Do I Do After a Hurricane?
Your family’s safety is the most important thing, and you need to be prepared to evacuate them quickly and safely. Once your family is safe and the storm has passed, you’ll then need to consider any property damage and your insurance coverage.
If your property has been damaged by a hurricane, file your claim quickly. Make sure you’ve thoroughly documented the damage with videos and photos. When you contact your insurance provider, record the calls and keep detailed records in case you need to use this information in court.
What If My Insurance Company Doesn’t Want to Pay?
The best case scenario is that you file your claim properly and on time, then your insurance company pays it. If you take the right steps and they decide to deny your claim in bad faith, though, you’ll likely need representation to fight them in court and get the money you are owed. When it comes to fighting bad faith claim denials, look no further than Colucci Law Group.
Colucci Law Group consists of legal experts that provide clients with support to combat bad faith claim denials. We will provide you with an experienced, expert property insurance lawyer to represent you in a suit against your insurance provider. We are also able to file your claim for you and defend your rights, so you get the settlement that you deserve.
For more information about our property insurance legal services, reach out today. We’d be happy to help you to file your claim or represent you in a lawsuit against your insurance provider.
If you suspect that you are the victim of a bad faith insurance claim denial, we can help. The Colucci Law Group has the resources to assess the validity of your claim at no cost to you. For a free consultation, email us or call our Dunedin office at 727-733-9438. You may also call our Fort Myers office at 239-378-7800. Our team assists victims of bad-faith insurance claims across the state of Florida.