Insurance Coverage For Tornado Damage In Cape Coral Florida

One can never be safe enough in The Sunshine State due to its treacherous weather. Arguably the worst of all can be tornadoes in Cape Coral Florida, which are a common occurrence. While the latest one from January 2022 was scary, the tornado from January 2016 was even more destructive damaging over 200 homes in the process.

It’s natural to wonder what you can do if one of the tornadoes in Cape Coral Florida rummages through your neighborhood. The best recourse, if you’re unlucky enough to be affected by this destructive force, is filing a home insurance claim for tornado damage.

The question is - what kind of coverage can you expect?

Let’s break it down!

Is Tornado Damage Covered By Insurance?

In most cases of tornadoes in Cape Coral Florida, home insurance will typically cover damages to your home, property, and additional structures found on your property. In other words, most policies will cover repairs to the home and also pay to replace your items damaged by the tornado.

The same applies to loss of use coverage present in most insurance policies that reimburse you for your living expenses if you are forced to move out of your residence.

Tornadoes are usually classified as hail or wind damage, which is an integral part of most insurance policies. This means you can relax knowing you’re most likely covered if one of the many tornadoes in Cape Coral Florida comes your way.

Do Home Insurance Policies Cover Dwelling Damage?

Besides covering direct damage such as a tornado destroying your roof, home insurance also covers indirect damage. 

For instance, even if your home isn’t in the direct path of the whirlwind, if a tree gets knocked down onto your roof or a projectile damages your home, the dwelling section from your policy has got you covered.

While you can replace your ceilings, roof, and flooring, your policy will enact the market value coverage or the replacement cost and rebuild your home if it’s destroyed. Neat!

What Personal Property Is Covered?

Most people worry about tornadoes in Cape Coral Florida damaging their homes, but they forget about all the valuable items that can also get damaged in the process. Thankfully, the so-called Coverage C or personal property insurance will cover indirect or direct damage to your personal belongings.

This means that electronics like TVs and computers are protected, but so is furniture and other valuable belongings. 

Just like with dwelling coverage, Coverage C will pay you out based on actual cash value. It also accounts for depreciation or replacement cost coverage, which reimburses you the exact amount of money you paid for the items.

Because tornadoes in Cape Coral Florida can be unexpected, we recommend you put together an inventory of all your belongings. If possible, find all the receipts that show the actual value of your items.

What Is Loss Of Use Coverage In Insurance Policies?

In some cases, a tornado will cause such extensive damage to your home, you’ll be forced to vacate it. If that happens, you can leverage loss of use coverage to cover all your costs while your home is being repaired or rebuilt. Put differently, this coverage reimburses you for living expenses that you incurred due to a tornado.

This may include renting a home or booking hotel rooms, along with food expenses you sustained from eating out, gas costs, and additional costs like storage fees for your personal belongings.

If this happens, make sure you hold on to any receipts so you can recover costs for all these additional expenses.

Do Home Insurance Policies Cover Tornado-related Flood Damage?

Most tornadoes in Cape Coral Florida go hand in hand with ample torrential rains. This causes other bodies of water to overflow, which can easily flood your home, thus  causing significant damage to personal belongings and serious structural damage to your home.

Sadly, flood damage is not covered by the basic home insurance policy, even when caused by tornadoes. To recover damages for this peril, you have to purchase separate flood insurance.

Since most homes in the US (and especially Florida) are located inside flood zones, you should purchase this coverage as soon as possible. The good news is that it’s affordable, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

What About Deductibles And Coverage Limits?

Because of the devastating nature of most Florida disasters, you should maintain sufficient coverage to protect your property and belongings.

For example, if you own a $200k home, you should maintain the same amount of dwelling coverage. The same applies to your personal belongings. If you have $40k in personal belongings, you’ll need property coverage of $40k to recover the damaged items.

You should also review your policy carefully to gain an understanding of your deductible. This is the amount you have to pay for the claim before your home insurance picks up the remaining funds up to the maximum outlined in your policy.

How To File A Successful Claim

Right after your home is damaged, you should contact your insurance company and file a claim. Although your property may look like a war zone, don’t fix anything until the insurance company adjuster inspects all the damage.

To be on the safe side, document all the damage yourself. Take photos or videos from multiple angles and leave no stone unturned. As we previously mentioned, a catalog of your belongings will also come in useful.

After you file the claim, the insurance company will send their adjuster to inspect your property and assess the damage. We recommend getting a second opinion from a licensed public adjuster or a contractor. That way, you can compare your expert’s estimate with the one from the insurance adjuster.

Protect Your Claim With Continental Public Adjusters

Even if you do everything properly, your claim might not go in your favor. For instance, insurance adjusters may deny your claim, undervalue your damages, or claim that damage happened due to a previous event.

This is why you should have a public adjuster on your side from the very beginning. That way, you can expedite your claim, recover the highest settlement amount, and if everything goes awry, successfully defend your claim.

If you want a public adjuster with a positive track record, feel free to reach out to Continental Public Adjusters. We have decades of experience and have handled many claims for tornadoes in Cape Coral Florida.

Call (800) 989-4769 to schedule a consultation so we can look over your policy with you and explain the entire process.