{"id":1970,"date":"2015-09-18T21:39:04","date_gmt":"2015-09-18T21:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/?p=1970"},"modified":"2023-09-29T21:16:22","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T21:16:22","slug":"hurricane-preparedness-tips-before-after-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/homeowners-insurance\/homeowners-insurance-and-weather-damage\/hurricane-preparedness-tips-before-after-storm\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane Preparedness \u2013 Helpful Tips Before and After the Storm"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Residents of South Carolina know full-well that hurricanes can cause extensive damage and devastation the closer to the coast you are. But, because the state remains a favorite location for people to move to \u2013 those new to the possible intensity and pounding of fall and winter storms \u2013 even farther inland \u2013 should be prepared by taking note of a few of these helpful tips in hurricane preparedness. It could minimize the risk of injury as well as keep claims on your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/insurance-options\/homeowners-insurance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">homeowners insurance<\/a> at a minimum.<\/p>\n<h2>Before the Storm<\/h2>\n<p>It all begins with personal safety ahead of any storm. Prepare an evacuation plan for your family and identify the nearest storm shelter. Make sure you have an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/auto\/getting-ready-for-hurricane-season\/\">emergency kit in your car<\/a>. Be sure to have hurricane survival supplies, which include the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Plenty of bottled water<\/li>\n<li>First Aid kit<\/li>\n<li>Flashlights (with extra batteries)<\/li>\n<li>Battery-operated radio<\/li>\n<li>Three or more days of non-perishable food items<\/li>\n<li>Blankets<\/li>\n<li>Extra clothing<\/li>\n<li>Prescription drugs (as required by family members)<\/li>\n<li>Eye glasses<\/li>\n<li>Personal hygiene supplies<\/li>\n<li>Cash for at least 3 days<\/li>\n<li>Your pet\u2019s leash\/collar\/food<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>After the Storm<\/h2>\n<p>The first few days following a natural disaster are often confusing and stress-filled. Once you\u2019re confident everyone you care about is okay \u2013 it\u2019s important for you to focus on contacting your insurance company and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/auto\/does-car-insurance-cover-natural-disasters\/\">filing your claim(s)<\/a> as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n<p>By doing so \u2013 you\u2019ll help protect your financial future \u2013 as well as taking the initial step to having your home restored.<\/p>\n<p>Make sure you carry your homeowners policy number and other relevant information with you at all times so you can refer to it easily should everything you own be destroyed by the storm. Time may be of the essence as some policies may require you make notification within a set time frame.<\/p>\n<p>As is often the case, severe damage caused by devastating storms can take years to settle with insurers and damage can take years to repair. So, be aware of this.<\/p>\n<p>Take photographs\/video of the damage before you begin clean-up or repairs. After you&#8217;ve done the preliminary inventory and documented the damage, make the repairs you deem necessary to prevent any further damage to your home and property<\/p>\n<p>Start by covering broken windows, leaking roofs, and damaged walls, but DO NOT make permanent repairs until your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">insurance company<\/a> has inspected the property and all parties have reached an agreement on the cost of repairs. If available, provide the claims adjuster with records of any improvements or modifications you may have made prior to the damage.<\/p>\n<p>Receipts will be vital. Save them all, including those from the temporary repairs, such as boarding up the windows or doors.<\/p>\n<p>Should your home be damaged beyond repair or to the extent that you cannot live there safely, ask your insurance company or insurance agent if you have coverage for additional living expenses. Chances are you do.<\/p>\n<p>It goes without saying that, after such a stressful event, tempers may be short, but staying calm and cooperating fully with the insurance company is to your advantage. Ask what documents, forms and data you need to file the claim. By keeping a diary, you\u2019ll have a record of all conversations with the insurance company and your insurance agent, including names, times and dates of the calls, including visits and important contact information.<\/p>\n<p>In case you have a disagreement with the adjuster or calls aren\u2019t returned in a timely manner, you can refer to your notes. Furthermore, if you believe you are being treated unfairly, contact the <a href=\"http:\/\/doi.sc.gov\/8\/Consumers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">South Carolina Department of Insurance, Division of Consumer Services<\/a> by calling 800-768-3467 or via e-mail at consumers@doi.sc.gov.<\/p>\n<p>While the weather may be unpredictable and can change from one day to the next \u2013 dealing with your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/insurance-options\/homeowners-insurance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">homeowners insurance company<\/a> shouldn\u2019t be. If you\u2019re not happy with the rates or the service you\u2019re getting \u2013 it\u2019s time you get some free South Carolina homeowners insurance quotes today.<\/p>\n<p><em>Call Freeway Insurance at <strong>(800) 777-5620<\/strong> to get a free homeowners insurance quote that fits your needs and budget. Freeway provides quality insurance coverage for affordable rates. Call today to get started.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Residents of South Carolina know full-well that hurricanes can cause extensive damage and devastation the closer to the coast you are. But, because the state remains a favorite location for people to move to \u2013 those new to the possible intensity and pounding of fall and winter storms \u2013 even farther inland \u2013 should be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[106],"importance":[],"type-content":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1970"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1970"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9791,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1970\/revisions\/9791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1970"},{"taxonomy":"importance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/importance?post=1970"},{"taxonomy":"type-content","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-content?post=1970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}