This article appeared on Christine Karpinski’s website after Hurricane Ivan hit the Florida, Alabama and Louisiana Gulf Coast. It caused major damage and destruction. There are many people who live there permanently who have lost their homes and their lives. Christine reminds us to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Here are some considerations for assessment of damages and recovery. (Special thanks to Realtor, Jim McDaniel for much of the content for this article.)
Insurance
If you have hurricane/wind insurance, you should have a policy somewhere in your files. Pull it out and read it. Contact your insurance company and find out what their process is for claims. If you don't have hurricane/wind insurance, contact your regular insurance company, you can still file a claim, but there are no guarantees anything will be covered. Contact your insurance company's claims department first, get a claim or case number. If your agent is in your vacation area, most likely they are inaccessible, you may have to call the national claim's number.
Renters
If you have renters scheduled to arrive, I would call them and let them know that you are still waiting on word. I think it's best to contact anyone who will be renting at least the next 2 weeks and possibly longer.
On-site visit
At some point you will need to go there and asses the damages yourself, or if you have a friend, neighbor, housekeeper or someone that can assess your place.
Before you do anything about going down there, be sure that you can even get in. A lot of areas they are not allowing anyone to enter. This is for your own safety. There are a lot of power lines down, roads literally washed out and a lot of structural damage. Check your county's web site to see if they have updates (many are not up and running yet.
What to take
Take your camera with you. If you have any damages, be sure to take photos of everything before you fix anything. Insurance adjusters are going to be very busy and of course they will prioritize their claims. If you have water damage, and you cannot wait for the adjusters, use your best judgment on repairing things that need immediate attention. Mold and mildew can do long term damage. But remember take lots of photos.
If you plan on going down, bring proof of ownership, such as insurance policy, deed, etc or you will not be allowed in. That is good as they want to keep out the looters and sightseers. Bring any tools, fans (for drying carpets, etc) and cleaning apparatus to help clean up.
If you do go down, you will want to get as many supplies from home because the Home Depots and such in the affected area may have a hard time keeping up with inventory demand. Some things that I would get that come immediately to mind are: pack a cooler with food and drinks. Candles, flashlights and possibly generators. Contractor trash bags, fans, shovels, rakes, brooms, hammers, nails screwdrivers, cleaning supplies, paper towels.
What to do when you are there
If you have been told that there was not apparent damage, you still should have someone go inside your unit. Jim stated that water has gotten inside units through sliding glass doors, windows and door thresholds.
Even if your unit was not damaged, Jim stated that all assistance to help clean up the common grounds for all properties will be appreciated. We cannot expect our association management to do it all. (Also some of the staff people may have damage at their homes.)
Remember, everyone needs help and contract labor will be scarce. (If you plan on bringing anyone to do paid work, they must be licensed, so be careful.)
If you have windows that need immediate replacement, keep in mind that you cannot buy regular windows, they must be to code, which are the high wind impact windows.
If you are one of the of the more fortunate owners who had little or no damage, you may want to pop an e-mail to your renters, or add something to your web site stating that you are fine and did not sustain damages. I have had concerned renters call me. Remember this is their piece of paradise too.
Perspective
And lastly, let's put this all into perspective...as bad as this feels remember this is only your second home or investment property... Yes, your property was affected, yes, your rental revenues will be affected. But your life goes on.
The Red Cross takes donations for hurricane victims. Feel free to contact them in your area. And remember, the greatest gift you can give is the gift of life, donate blood.
Christine Karpinski, author of the best selling book, How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner, can be contacted via her web site.