As a business owner in Miami, Florida, hurricanes can be a significant threat to your commercial property and the success of your business. These powerful storms can cause extensive damage to buildings, inventory, and equipment, as well as disrupt operations and result in lost revenue. In this blog, we’ll explore the impact of hurricanes on Miami businesses and provide insight into commercial damage claims.
Hurricanes in Miami: Understanding the Threat
Miami is in a region that is highly vulnerable to hurricanes. These storms can bring heavy rain, strong winds, and storm surges, which can cause significant damage to commercial properties. In recent years, Miami has experienced several major hurricanes, including Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Hurricane Wilma/Katrina in 2005, and Hurricane Irma in 2017. These storms caused billions of dollars in damage and left many businesses struggling to recover.
Commercial Damage Claims: What You Need to Know
If your business has been impacted by a hurricane in Miami, it’s important to understand your options for filing a commercial damage claim. This type of claim can help you recover financial losses associated with property damage, lost revenue, and other hurricane-related expenses.
To file a commercial damage claim, you will need to work with an insurance claims attorney who specializes in this area of law. These attorneys can help you navigate the complex process of filing a claim, working with insurance adjusters, and negotiating a settlement and/or litigating a commercial property claim.
Insurance Claims Attorneys: How They Can Help
Working with an insurance claims attorney is essential for businesses that have suffered hurricane-related damage. These attorneys can provide legal representation and support to help you get the compensation you need to recover from the storm. They can also help you understand your policy coverage and ensure that your claim is filed correctly.
In addition to helping with commercial damage claims, insurance claims attorneys can also assist with homeowners’ insurance claims. Homeowners in Miami are also impacted by hurricanes and an attorney can help ensure that their claims are properly filed and processed. Often times business owners will also have a homeowners’ claim as they live and work in the same locale.
Preparing Your Business for Hurricane Season
While it’s impossible to completely avoid the impact of hurricanes on your business, there are steps you can take to minimize the damage. These include:
-Having a comprehensive disaster plan in place
-Ensuring that your commercial property insurance coverage is up to date and adequate
-Taking steps to protect your property, such as boarding up windows and securing outdoor equipment
-Taking photographs of all buildings, interior and exterior, as well as all inventory/equipment
-Secure/protect all important documents and have them handy, including your insurance company’s telephone number to present your claim
-Establishing communication protocols with employees, customers, and vendors
By taking these proactive measures, you can help protect your business from the financial impact of hurricanes in Miami.
A story by Wink News, Business Owners Impatient Over Insurance Money, describes the situation prevalent for Hurricane Ian business owners waiting for their insurance benefits:
“A silly and funny joke shows the harsh reality for businesses hit hardest by Ian.
Just like many others, the Kona Kai motel has been waiting months for insurance money to help them get back to as close as normal as possible after Hurricane Ian.
But now, the owners of the Kona Kai motel say they have had enough.
They tell WINK News they have been waiting seven-plus months to get enough money to cover the clean-up.
They think it will cost a couple of million dollars to get the work done.
If getting people’s attention was an instrument, the owners at Kona Kai motel are playing the saxo-bone.
They have displayed a skeleton lounging in a chair with a sign that reads: ‘Just waiting for the insurance check.’
People stop by to take photos of the sign.
‘Yeah, unfortunately, they’re pulling up on the bike path, which is not cool, the city’s not gonna like that at all,’ said Denise Rodenburg. ‘My husband laughs and says you’re going to have to get a traffic cop out there one of these days.’
Denise and her husband just want to build their business back up from the bones of their motel buildings that Hurricane Ian left behind.
But it’s not easy.
‘Amazon delivered it to my house on the island a couple of days ago and I said you can just drop that, and he said it’s really light. I said yeah because it’s a skeleton,’ she said.
Denise hopes she isn’t a skeleton before she can finally cash her insurance company check.
She said the clean up costs $330,000 and insurance only advanced her $67,000.
‘We’ve got workers lined up,’ she said. ‘Everything is fine, except for the insurance piece.’
Denise said she is not only trying to make ends meet but, keep her staff on board and eventually get some doors back on the five buildings at the Kona Kai.
How does she deal with the frustration?”
Hurricanes are a significant threat to businesses in Miami, but by understanding commercial damage claims and working with an insurance claims attorney, you can take steps to protect your business and quickly recover from the storm. The Farber Law Firm is an experienced and dedicated team of insurance claims attorneys who can provide the legal support you need. Contact us today to learn more. The Farber Law Firm at (305) 774 0134 for a Free Initial Consultation