By Insurance Justice Staff — October 14, 2026
The storm has passed. Before you touch a tarp or pick up a phone, take a moment and center yourself. You are alive. Your health and your family come first, and everything else — the roof, the fence, the belongings — can be recovered. It takes clear thinking and going through the motions, one step at a time.
1. Take inventory of what you have and what you’re missing.
Walk the property. In the aftermath of a hurricane, damage is usually visible and obvious. Make a list: what’s intact, what’s damaged, what’s gone.
2. Document everything with video and photos — and match it to what you had before.
This is the single most important thing you’ll do all week. Photograph and video every room, every angle, every damaged item. If you have older photos or video of the property from before the storm — a holiday video, a real estate listing, anything — pull them out. Evidence you can match, before and after, is worth more than any description. If you don’t have pre-storm media, write down a plain statement describing the condition of the property before the storm, then match it to your post-storm photos. An honest, detailed account recorded now beats anyone’s memory six months from now.
3. Dictate a timeline while it’s fresh.
Use your phone — or an AI assistant — to dictate a simple summary: what happened before the storm, what happened during it, and what you did afterward to protect the property. Date it. You will not remember these details later, and neither will anyone else. Record it now.
4. File your claim directly — and treat the form like a court document.
When the time is right, reach out to FEMA and contact your insurance company directly. You don’t have to go through your broker. Read every question on the claim form carefully and answer exactly what is asked — no more, no less. Then submit your indexed evidence and your written summary as soon as you can, and ask that the process be expedited. Tell them plainly: if anything is missing or unclear, contact you and you’ll get it to them. What you want is simple — an adjuster to come out, a fair adjustment under the terms of your policy, and compensation that lets you put your life back together.
5. Be patient, but stay organized.
Document everything and keep it in order — but understand that nothing changes overnight. After a major storm there are thousands of claims. Even the best-funded carriers get overwhelmed. These are big ships and they turn slowly. An orderly file, submitted early, is the fastest thing you control.
6. Don’t go through it alone.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed — financially, emotionally, or otherwise — reach out. A friend, a family member, someone in your faith community. What you’re feeling is normal, and there are resources everywhere for people hit by storms. Use every tool available, including AI assistants and search, to find what’s offered in your area. Take a breath, take inventory of yourself and your belongings and your policies, and move forward calmly.
7. If the claim stalls, get counsel.
If you’ve done everything right and you’re getting nowhere — low offers, delays, silence — talk to a competent attorney who practices first-party insurance law. A short conversation about your rights can put you on a calm, straightforward path to resolution, one way or another.
Things will work out. Go step by step.
Insurance Justice is a news publication, not a law firm. This article is general consumer information, not legal advice. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.
