With hurricane season on the horizon, you’re probably wondering just how intense things are going to get. Do you need to buy some wood to board up your windows and stock your shelves? Or are you good to go?
If you’ve lived in Florida for a while, you know how high the risk of a hurricane (or even multiple hurricanes) is and how many hurricanes can make landfall in any given season.
So, what should you expect from the 2023 hurricane season? What’s going on with El Niño and La Niña? Will that affect the season? And what do you do if your property gets damaged?
Below are some predictions for the 2023 hurricane season, as well as what you can do if the storm damages your home or business.
What to Expect from the 2023 Hurricane Season in Florida
The good news is, according to Tropical Storm Risk (TSR), a highly-regarded hurricane forecasting team, there may be 15% less activity than the 30-year norm. This doesn’t mean we won’t see any activity, though.
The hurricane season overall is expected to contain 6 hurricanes, and around 13 named storms. Out of those 6 potential hurricanes, as many as 3 could be major. Which ones hit Florida, of course, is yet to be determined.
El Niño and La Niña
While we may have fewer hurricanes this year, El Niño and La Niña may be major determining factors when it comes to how the hurricane season pans out. We may see La Niña continue until sometime in the summer when El Niño develops. This may lead to fewer storms, but that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear. There have been some pretty bad hurricanes during El Niño, which include Frances, Charley, Jeanne, and Michael.
What to Do If Your Property Gets Damaged
If your property is damaged during a hurricane, it’s important to take action. This means taking an inventory of the damage and filing a claim with your insurance company as soon as you can. You don’t want to miss the window to file your claim. While the window in Florida is three years, it’s still better to file sooner than later.
Your insurance company will likely send out its own adjuster to survey the damage and determine the payout. If you properly inventoried the damage, you should get a reasonable settlement.
TIP: To ensure you get the best settlement possible, take photo and video evidence of the damage, along with a written list.
Reach Out to Colucci Law Group if Your Insurance Company Denies Your Claim
Generally, if you take the appropriate steps to file your claim on time and properly, you won’t have any issues with your insurance company paying out your claim. With that said, your insurance company may decide to deny your claim in bad faith. What do you do if this happens? Reach out to Colucci Law Group!
If you’ve been hit by a hurricane, you have insurance, you’ve taken a good inventory, and you’ve filed a claim, your insurance company owes you a certain amount of money. If your insurance company wants to pay you less than you are owed or denies your legitimate claim entirely, reach out to Colucci Law Group. We provide expert support to our clients and are able to help combat bad-faith claim denials. An outstanding lawyer will represent you in a suit against your insurance provider, and we will fight to ensure you get the money you are owed.
Colucci Law Group is also able to file a claim for you. We’ll defend your rights and get you an appropriate settlement.
If you would like to learn more about the property insurance legal services we provide, contact Colucci Law Group today. We will negotiate or litigate on your behalf to ensure your insurance company pays your claim.
If you suspect that you are the victim of a bad-faith insurance claim denial or you would like support filing a claim, 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 Clearwater 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.