Hurricane Milton made landfall on October 9, 2024, near our neighbors in Sarasota. While the storm landing was a Category 3 as opposed to the initially predicted Category 4, there were still some catastrophic events that Panama City and its neighboring cities could not avoid. Specifically, in Panama City, the highest wind gust was reported at 29 mph and there was a marginal water level increase. Even so, this could have blown around loose objects and tree limbs or caused minor flood damage to residential homes, as a couple of examples. If you can relate to this, then please continue reading to learn what to do if you experienced property damage to your Panama City home after Hurricane Milton and how one of the seasoned Panama City hurricane claim attorneys at Manuel & Thompson, PA can help you seek recovery.
What should I do if I experienced property damage to my Panama City home after Hurricane Milton?
Once you confirm that you and your loved ones are all safe, and if the weather permits, you should carefully inspect your Panama City property. Hopefully, before Hurricane Milton made landfall, you conducted a general inspection of the state of your property. That way, you can easily compare and contrast and ultimately identify the property damages you incurred. From here, you can report these property damages to your insurance company via a claim.
Of note, within your claim, you should also make note of the expenses you incurred from being forced to evacuate your home before Hurricane Milton arrived. This may entail the costs of gas, food, temporary lodging, etc. Depending on your policy type, you may be able to retrieve financial compensation for this, as well. In conclusion, no matter the kind or amount of payout you need, an experienced Panama City hurricane claim attorney is prepared to help you get it.
What are other ways to get relief after Hurricane Milton?
Unfortunately, insurance companies are notorious for making it difficult to recover the financial compensation you need after your incurred damages. This may sadly even apply in catastrophic incidents, such as Hurricane Milton. What’s more, your need for recovery may extend far beyond what your insurance policy can offer you in the first place.
If this is your case, you may want to turn to seek aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). That is, you may apply for disaster assistance through DisasterAssistance.gov, through the FEMA mobile app, or by calling the FEMA helpline at 1-800-621-2262.
And even if you require aid beyond FEMA’s authority, one of its representatives may offer you referrals for local emergency management services you may reach out to. This may include the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, or other volunteer organizations that have responded to the greater Bay County area to offer food, shelter, supplies, and cleanup assistance.
You should know that one of the competent Panama City hurricane claim attorneys is here to assist you with whatever you need to get through this difficult time. So please reach out to us at Manuel & Thompson, PA today.