If 2020 has taught the people of Texas anything, it’s that natural disasters can be life-changing in unexpected ways. That’s part of why it’s important to be prepared for them. As unpredictable as disasters are, it’s possible to manage some of the risk beforehand. It’s always a great idea to take advantage of currently available resources to plan for the eventuality of a disaster.
When news of a potential natural disaster is made public, individuals should start to think like an insurance company. They need to make sure property and liability policies are stored in a safe place and keep a copy in another secure place. One great idea is to scan the policy into a PDF and save that file in the cloud.
Individuals should use a smartphone to catalog valuables, too. A video and photos of the residence immediately before a disaster is great proof in the aftermath. It’s always a good idea to show an insurance company in addition to telling them. Footage and photos can be compelling evidence showing what went missing or became damaged in the incident.
Finally, individuals need to file any property damage claims as soon as possible after disaster strikes. Insurance professionals are only human, so when they’re inundated with claims, a processing backlog develops. Claimants should make it a point to save any claim numbers in a safe place. The cloud can be great for this too.
Sometimes, there’s a human role in natural disasters. For example, some of California’s most devastating fires were traced to a utility company. In the Galveston area, refinery explosions and the like can also be causes of disasters. When human error plays a role in devastation, it may be important to have an experienced disaster litigation advocate on one’s side.
