Maus Law Firm Advises on Tropical Storm Colin
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, June 13, 2016 (Newswire.com) - Tropical Storm Colin has come and gone now, moving out from the East Coast of Florida into the Ocean. Hurricane season only began on June 1, 2016 and we have already experienced three named storms. Tropical Storm Colin is the earliest third storm in the history of hurricane season, breaking a record set in 1887. But despite Colin staying off the coast of Florida for much of its track, it has left millions of dollars in storm damage behind.
Tropical Storm Colin’s effects could be felt for many miles outside the center of the storm. The National Hurricane Center reported that tropical storm force winds could be felt more than a hundred miles from the center of TS Colin. Venice reported wind gusts as high as 60 miles per hour with sustained winds over 40 miles per hour. Bradenton Beach reported winds of 57 miles per hour. Even Naples had wind gusts of 47 miles per hour. In 2012, Tropical Storm Sandy never made contact with the East Coast of Florida but washed out parts of A1A in Fort Lauderdale, causing millions of dollars in wind created damage.
Most home insurance policies contain an exclusion for water damage caused by roof leaks unless the opening in the roof was caused by wind. Proving your property damage was caused by wind can be difficult. After a roof has been in place for several years and exposed to the daily effects of the sun and rain, is your roof leak truly the result of wind, or is it just an old roof that is starting to deteriorate. Wind readings from storms like TS Colin are important evidence which can be used to prove how a storm many miles from your home or business can still cause damage to your house, even if it doesn’t make landfall near you.
If your home or business suffered damage from TS Colin, now is the time to gather your evidence to make sure your damage is covered in your storm insurance claim. Collecting wind readings in your city is a good place to start. Keep in mind that the wind readings will not be specific to your house or business, but rather from a nearby airport or weather station. Wind readings at your property could be even higher than reported. Websites like the National Hurricane Center and Wunderground can give you historical wind readings in your area.
Another important part of a Florida wind insurance claim is photographs of the damage. Many times a property owner will rush to repair a roof to stop the damage being caused by the rain. In fact, your homeowner insurance policy most likely requires you to do this. But don’t repair the roof without first getting photographs of the damage caused by the storm. Look for broken tiles on your roof, or debris that may have landed on your roof as a result of the Tropical Storm. Make sure you get photographs of any broken tile or missing shingles before your make any repairs. Also look for debris that may have landed in your yard after hitting your roof.
Many property owners that make an insurance claim for Tropical Storm Colin damage will likely hear from their insurance company that the storm damage is not covered as there was no “wind created opening”. But with the far-reaching effects of a tropical storm like Colin, it is easy to see how the storm winds can cause property damage many miles from the storm. Take the time to document your storm insurance claim so that you don’t have to hear about some obscure exclusion tucked away in the fine print of your homeowner insurance policy that denies your Florida insurance claim.
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Source: Maus Law Firm