When hurricane season 2021 began a few months ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted that this would be another active Atlantic hurricane season.1 In the past week, two storms, Fred and Grace, passed near Puerto Rico and fortunately only left a few inches of rain in some areas of the island. We are now in the middle of what many experts consider peak hurricane season in the Caribbean – September being the most active month. Many property insureds are still waiting for their Hurricane Maria claims to be paid so they can continue with proper repairs. In the mea ..read more

Hurricane Elsa became the first official hurricane of the 2021 season Friday morning after gaining significant strength over the Atlantic. While the National Hurricane Center is not anticipating the storm to strengthen further over the next 48 hours, residents of the Keys and South Florida have put on notice for potential landfall sometime around the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 5. The fifth named storm of the season is projected to continue a general west-northwest path over the Caribbean. Hurricane warnings are currently in effect for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St ..read more

Hurricane season is just around the corner. The Weather Channel’s 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook predicts another above-average season, meaning policyholders must take the time to ensure they are adequately prepared. Preparation extends to both safeguarding your home and addresses any coverage gaps or underinsurance issues with your policy. The 2021 outlook is predicting eighteen total named storms, with eight becoming hurricanes and three being Category 3 or higher. Last year’s historic hurricane season saw thirty named storms, twelve of which made landfall in the continental U.S. Thi ..read more

We can all agree that the year 2020 has broken many records and hurricane season has not been an exception. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this year’s hurricane season has been the most active on record.1 To date (November 17) there have been 31 tropical storms, of which thirteen have become hurricanes—the most recent being Hurricane Iota, a Category 5 hurricane that is set to strike Central America early this morning, while they are still trying to recover from Hurricane Eta’s devastating landfall less than two weeks ago. In the United States, the prev ..read more

Insurance coverage gaps, miswritten policies, and non-reviewed insurance policies are routinely found after hurricanes do catastrophic coverage. It is still not too late for business owners in hurricane country to review their insurance policies, meet with their insurance agents, and get a plan in place. This afternoon at 2 PM, I will go over some of the questions and simple late steps business owners should do to prepare for hurricane season with a competent insurance agent, if they not done so already. Bill Wilson, pictured above, is the type of insurance advisor all business owners should s ..read more

Hurricane Dorian Before law school, I worked for nearly two years at the Florida Division of Emergency Management. During major events, I served on the State Emergency Response Team at the emergency operations center in Tallahassee. With Hurricane Dorian projected to impact Florida, I wanted to take a moment to provide you some of the insights that I learned as a former member of Florida’s emergency management team. First, stay attuned to announcements from your local emergency management officials. Your community leaders are in constant contact with state and federal emergency managers and ..read more

One of the most bizarre hurricane stories ever told to me was from a client’s son in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina. While holding on for his life in flood waters, a chihuahua came floating by him on a surfboard. I just have a hard time imagining that but look at the photo above. One of the saddest hurricane stories is the death of twelve seniors at a Florida nursing home following Hurricane Irma. The people responsible for taking care of them are now facing criminal prosecution. The Miami Herald published a story, What Should Seniors Do As Dorian Threatens Florida? an ..read more

We’re currently in the middle of hurricane season and all Florida property owners should be examining their insurance policies to review both their policy limits and hurricane deductible before disaster strikes. Below are answers to some frequently asked questions concerning the hurricane deductible in Florida: 1. When does the hurricane deductible apply? By Florida statute, the application of hurricane deductibles is triggered by windstorm losses resulting only from a hurricane declared by the National Weather Service. Hurricane deductibles apply to damage that occurs from the time a hurrica ..read more

At this point, it seems that Hurricane Florence will strike and cause damage to buildings and homes beginning on Thursday, September 13, 2018. While hurricanes seem to always have an ingredient of unpredictability, the experts at the National Hurricane Center are warning of extreme winds, intense rain and storm surge. Our prior post, Hurricane Florence Categorized as Extremely Dangerous – Precautions are Mandatory, outlined precautionary advice and should be followed before the storm. After the storm, our experience from other hurricanes, namely Irma, Harvey, and Maria have shown us that peopl ..read more

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