Working Through the Flood Insurance Claims Process 

Release Date: October 14, 2004
Release Number: 1539-197

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- More than 1.8 million Floridians hold flood insurance policies and many of them have filed or will be filing damage claims in the days ahead as a result of one or more of the recent hurricanes.

Traditionally, the steps in the process are:

  1. The policyholder files a claim with the insurance company.
  2. An adjuster visits to survey the damage, both to structure and contents.
  3. Either the adjuster or the policyholder prepares a form called “Proof of Loss,” a legal document that is an itemized statement of the losses suffered. The policyholder then must submit the proof of loss statement to his or her insurance carrier within 60 days of the first occurrence of the flood damage.
  4. If the insured individual cannot agree with the adjuster on the amount of damage, he or she should ask for assistance from the adjuster’s supervisor. Disputes must be worked out with the insurance company.

Almost 20,000 communities across the U. S. participate in the FEMA-administered National Flood Insurance program (NFIP), which makes federally backed flood insurance available to homeowners, renters and business owners in those communities. To participate in the program, the community must agree to pass and enforce floodplain management ordinances.

General information on the NFIP is available by going to www.fema.gov/nfip or www.FloodSmart.gov.

The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) is a collaboration of Florida’s state agencies led by the state coordinating officer. SERT’s mission is to ensure that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate their impact. Visit http://www.floridadisaster.org for the latest information on the hurricane relief effort.

On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA’s continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the NFIP and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Last Modified: Thursday, 14-Oct-2004 17:21:57