Hurricane Ida Commercial Wind Damage Claims
Helping Businesses File New Orleans Commercial Insurance Claims
On Sunday, August 29 (the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina), Hurricane Ida descended on Louisiana. While the hurricane was smaller than Katrina, officials called it the most powerful storm in the state’s history, including last year’s Hurricane Laura and the Last Island hurricane of 1856. Thankfully, New Orleans was better prepared for flooding, but no one could prepare for Hurricane Ida’s 150 mph winds. At that speed, winds were uprooting trees, lifting roofs, and tearing buildings to shreds. Entire buildings were hollowed out or toppled over, destroying millions of dollars of commercial property and eradicating entire livelihoods.
It’s for disasters like these that commercial insurance was invented. You’ve paid premiums for years in case of a moment like this.
But if the history of Katrina tells us anything, it’s that insurance companies refuse to take a loss—even when their own policies demand that they cover the damage caused by Hurricane Ida. While your business is operating at half capacity (or no capacity at all), insurers have the power to wait you out, to force you to give up on your claim or to take far less than you’re owed. When you have no other options, what choice do you have?
Be Prepared for a Fight
Hurricane claims are notoriously complex—or rather, they’re notorious for becoming complex as soon as your insurer gets involved. In truth, your claim should be simple: the wind caused damage to your business, you file a claim showing so, and the insurance company pays out your policy limits to help you recover.
What ususally happens is this: your insurer will deny your claim or delay it using a number of tactics at their disposal. Your claim might trade hands from adjuster to adjuster, forcing you to resubmit the same files over and over again (which delays your case even further). Or your denial letter might insist that the damage isn’t covered under an obscure clause in your policy designed for this exact purpose. In either case, the end result is the same, and you’ll need to hire a lawyer to take the insurer to court.
Have a New Orleans Insurance Lawyer Handle Your Claim
Rather than struggle for months on your own, it would be faster, easier, and more effective to bring a lawyer into the process far earlier. Having your own attorneys tells the insurance company that they can’t abuse you or give you the run-around, and it forces them to deal with your claim fairly. And if they don’t? We’ll take them to court and sue them for your policy limits plus damages for illegally hindering your claim.
Tony Clayton has won hundreds of millions for our clients against some of the biggest insurers and corporations in the nation. If you’re filing a Hurricane Ida commercial wind damage claim, bring us in to make sure the insurance company pays what you need to rebuild your business. Our New Orleans insurance lawyers have the resources and experience to take your case all the way to court—which often means we don’t have to.
Call (504) 608-3211 for a free consultation to discuss your options as soon as possible.
