Commercial Insurance Claims for Tornado or Other Windstorm Damage
If a tornado strikes and damages your commercial property, after everyone’s safe, your priority is to rebuild and to save your business. We are your public adjusters working as your advocates to assess damages, prepare your insurance claim, and negotiate with your insurance company to get you what you need to recover.
Tornado damage can be catastrophic or sometimes hidden and easily missed, and therefore compromising to your commercial property. Our expertise is in assessing such damage and negotiating a claim that will get your business what it needs to fully recover.
If your commercial property is damaged by a tornado, you may not be able to see the damage with the naked eye. This could be a cracked foundation or a loosened roof. How will you know if your property is safe? The first step is to engage a licensed engineer to determine if any structural deficiencies like these have occurred. If the damage is identified, our public adjusters can step in to help assess the full scope and prepare and manage your insurance claim.
Our team of public adjusters evaluates and documents your damage in full detail, and negotiates with your insurance company for a maximum claim recovery. As your trusted advocates, we make sure you obtain what you need to rebuild your property and business.
What To Focus On After Tornado or Other Windstorm Damage
Make sure you fully understand the meaning of each of the following before you move forward. Feel free to reach out to us for a no-cost discussion about your claim.
What is my agent/broker’s role? Will his/her role be active or passive? When faced with supporting your position or the insurance company’s, where will he/she stand?
The insurance company hired a construction estimator. What do I need to know?
Wind Damage vs. Storm Surge vs. Flood. What is covered?
Why is a claim strategy so important?
Am I impacted by coinsurance?
Forensic Deconstruction may be required in order to determine the possible structural damages caused by pressure vs. suction and differential pressure. (Wind flow on two opposite sides of any building components such as roofs, walls, structural members, etc., which could deform or dislodge materials).
Is there coinsurance in your policy? Properly managing coinsurance requirements can prevent financial disaster. Not properly managing coinsurance requirements can put you out of business! If there is, what does it mean? If there is, did your insurance adjuster explain it? How is coinsurance calculated: on replacement cost or actual cash value?
Is there a methodology to properly document the loss?
Is a moisture survey necessary? Why or why not?
When mold is an issue, be sure to hire professionals to record RH%, document the damage, and create a moisture map before removing ALL wet building materials.
Prompt inspection and documentation is key to a successful claim. It takes a trained professional to identify and document windstorm damage. Do you have the right expert lined up? You should not just rely on the insurance company’s experts.
The report from the roofing expert you choose can make all the difference in your recovery.
Repair vs. replacement of roofing can be a very challenging issue. Are you familiar with matching issues/rules? Are you familiar with patching issues/rules? What about warranties?
Wind driven rain vs. leakage. The difference can affect your recovery.
What happens following an extraordinary storm when drying equipment, generators, remediation labor, and other resources are unavailable for days? Weeks?
Property Damage Losses Commercial Claims Recovery Process
Property Damage
Time Element
Life & Safety Issues
Mitigation of Damages
Establish A Preliminary Recovery Plan
Evaluation of Coverages
Valuation Of Damages, Claim Preparation, and Documentation
When our facilities were damaged by a tornado, we knew that our job was getting back to business, and realized that the matter of preparing, filing and negotiating a claim of this magnitude with our insurer was going to be a monumental task…Now that the claim has been settled, I am convinced that the value we received from you was as you promised…You and your associates assisted in the compilation and valuation of every damaged shingle and chair, and therefore, we were able to provide the insurer with documentation sufficient to support our property claim…Although we were shut down for only a few days, the impact of staff relocation, lack of resources, and countless other issues was felt in our revenues and profits. Your business interruption experts…provided exemplary service to us in dealing with a very complicated business interruption claim. We could never have accomplished this on our own. These experts brought us their knowledge of the insurance industry, experience with many types of business interruption claims, and a solid accounting background which ultimately led to an equitable settlement of our loss. Throughout the recovery and claim process, you and your staff maintained a pleasant and professional attitude. Your interaction with the insurer and its consultants was always constructive and I felt reassured in your representation of me and my company's interests.
Understanding your insurance policy before a disaster strikes is essential to protecting your organization and ensuring the fast recovery for the next major hurricane or windstorm
Evaluate
Fully reviewing your insurance coverage.
Strategy
Developing a claim management strategy.
Compliance
Determining policy compliance issues.
Valuations
Completing detailed valuations of building, equipment and inventory losses.
Interruption
Formulating business interruption models.
Itemization
Presenting and supporting an itemized claim package to your insurer.
Negotiation
Negotiating on your behalf with your insurance company.
Communication
Keeping you informed every step of the way.
Settlement
Ultimately settling the claim for the maximum amount and with less hassle for you.
Podcast06.09.2016