Massive flooding continues to encompass a majority of Louisiana neighborhoods that in the past have never flooded, leaving many homeowners concerned with the well-being of their home and the question of how to repair it. Majority of houses in these flooded neighborhoods were not required to purchase flood insurance, leaving many homeowners at a loss for words. At Complete Construction Contractors, L.L.C. we understand the stress that is involved in repairing your home following a disaster. Our teams are ready and able to help navigate you through the insurance claim process as well as dry out and rebuild your home as quickly as possible.
If you have flood insurance, these are the steps you must take in order to get the water damage taken care quickly. The longer you wait, the longer it will take to get your home back to normal.
Step 1: File a claim with your insurance company. You will receive a claim number and a name of an adjuster that will come out to your home to assess the damages.
Step 2: Call a disaster recovery specialists, like CCC, to dry out and demo the portions of your home that have been saturated with water. The quicker you do this the better, in the Louisiana heat, it is imperative you get your home dried out as quickly as possible to prevent mold from forming, it only takes 48-72 hours. Remember there is state wide flooding, the earlier you call a disaster recovery specialists, like CCC, the quicker they can come out to you.
Step 3: Document the damage. Once the water recedes take pictures of your home and belongings that may have been damaged through the flooding. This will allow your insurance carrier to monetize and pay out for the personal contents portion of your policy.
Step 4: Complete a proof of loss to assist in the resolution of the claim. A proof of loss puts 30-Day timeline on your insurance company to make revisions to their estimate to better encompass the damages occurred.
If you do not have flood insurance there are a couple of ways you can apply for federal assistance through FEMA.
Overview of the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) PURPOSE:
When disasters take place, the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) provides money and services to people in the disaster area when losses are not covered by insurance and property has been damaged or destroyed. This program guide provides information that will help you understand IHP and explains how to apply. You must meet specific eligibility conditions to qualify for help. IHP is designed to help you with critical expenses that cannot be covered in other ways.
LIMITATIONS: IHP will not cover all of your losses from damage to your property (home, personal property, household goods) that resulted from the disaster. IHP is not intended to restore your damaged property to its condition before the disaster. In some cases, IHP may only provide enough money, up to the program limits, for you to return an item to service. IHP does not cover business‐related losses that resulted from the disaster. By law, IHP cannot provide money to you for losses that are covered by your insurance. While some money is available through IHP, most disaster aid from the Federal government is in the form of loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA) that must be repaid. Applicants to IHP may be required to seek help from SBA first, before being considered for certain types of IHP help. You do not have to submit an SBA loan application to be considered for FEMA rental assistance.
Disaster Assistance Program
To be used by people in Presidentially declared disaster areas:
1. Apply online by visiting www.fema.gov or by phone by calling 1‐800‐621‐FEMA (3362) (hearing/speech impaired ONLY—call 1‐800‐462‐7585). In addition to having a pen and paper, please have the following information ready:
- Your Social Security Number.
- A description of your losses that were caused by the disaster.
- Insurance information.
- Directions to your damaged property.
- A telephone number where you can be contacted
Small Business Administration Disaster Loans
You can apply for disaster assistance online at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ - through this application you will be notified if you are eligible to receive federal loans or grants.
For homes and personal property you can receive a loan to restore and replace disaster damage real estate and personal property. The maximum loan amount for real estate that can be received from a SBA Loan is $200,000 for real estate and $40,000 for personal property. The loan amount is limited to the amount of the uninsured SBA verified loss.
For businesses you can receive a loan to repair or replace destroyed of damages business facilities, inventory, machinery or equipment. The max loan amount for businesses is $1,500,000.
It is important to remember that it is best to be proactive in these situations and that receiving assistance from FEMA may take some time.