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A year ago today, South Florida was bracing for Hurricane Irma. As the category 4 storm made landfall in the Lower Keys, it ripped through the islands damaging thousands of homes and businesses.

The storm effectively closed the Keys for weeks and shattered lives in its wake. The rest of South Florida was spared the brunt of the Irma’s wind, rain and storm surge, but it revealed major shortcomings in how communities across the region prepare for hurricane season.

It basically brought Miami to its knees despite its relatively low wind speeds across the Magic City. Nearly one million Miami-Dade residents lost power, many of them for more than a week. Trees blocked roads everywhere and many businesses remain closed to this day because of the storm. Furthermore, residents continue to fight insurance carriers reluctant to pay full value for damage caused to their homes.

So what did Hurricane Irma reveal?

Tree Canopies can be a Problem

Trees falling on power lines, especially in Coral Gables, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay and South Miami, caused many power outages. This prompted lawsuits and a lot of talk about burying power lines – which is an expensive proposition.

We can’t all head north towards Georgia

South Floridians spent hours on gridlocked highways heading north trying to escape as the storm approached. Many spent thousands of dollars driving from city-to-city and state-to-state. Since then, there has been more talk about how to better shelter in place and for those that need – using designated shelters as a last resort.

Make sure you have enough insurance coverage

While homeowner’s insurance sounds simple enough, don’t be fooled. There are a lot of working parts to a homeowner’s insurance policy. These five facts you need to know about homeowner’s insurance will help you determine where to start.

Certain issues can prevent you from recovering losses

While the assumption is that your insurance policy will cover everything in the event of property damage - that is simply not the case. There are certain actions you should and should not do before and after a storm in order to maximize your recovery under your policy.

If you have experienced loss from a hurricane, tropical storm or other major weather event – or you have questions about your existing policy - contact one of our experienced South Florida property insurance lawyers at Acle Law Firm for a free consultation. We will walk you through the terms of your insurance policy and provide representation in any dispute in Florida where your insurer is denying, delaying or under-paying your claim. Call our Miami property insurance claim attorneys at the Acle Law Firm today at 305-447-4667 or visit Acle Law for a free consultation

With forecasters expecting the 2018 hurricane season to still be a very active one, South Florida homeowners should be preparing their homes and putting their affairs in order to potentially file a claim with their home, flood and windstorm insurance companies. We’re hopeful that no storms will make landfall, but if one does, those South Floridians who planned ahead will be in the best position to maximize their coverage and begin rebuilding quickly.

It’s official and there is no turning back. The 2018 hurricane season is underway and it’s time to prepare. As we saw with Hurricane Irma last year and with other deadly storms over the decades, hurricanes can be devastating, especially if your insurance policy doesn’t cover the full extent of your property damage and if you don’t take certain steps following a storm. As Floridians, it’s our responsibility to understand the damage caused by hurricanes to our homes and businesses and how we can work to maximize our insurance recovery should a hurricane strike.

With many parts of South Florida still recovering from the deadly affects of Irma in 2017, forecasters have already begun spreading warnings about 2018 even though we’re just a few weeks into the current hurricane season.

Since purchasing a home may be the biggest investment you ever make, it’s no surprise that you should acquire homeowner’s insurance to protect that investment from damage, theft or natural disasters like a hurricane – especially here in South Florida.

With hurricane season upon us and localized flooding associated with Hurricane Irma still fresh in our minds, it’s important that South Florida residents understand what exactly does Federal Flood Insurance cover.

Living where other people like to vacation sometimes comes at a cost. Hurricanes, violent thunderstorms and other natural disasters are part of living in the beautiful sub-tropical climate of South Florida. As a homeowner or business owner in the market, it’s important that your property is properly insured. And while it’s important to understand what your insurance policy covers, it’s equally as significant to understand what it doesn’t because many policies exclude certain types of loss.

For residents of Pinecrest, Coral Gables, Palmetto Bay, Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah and all the way up to Ft. Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches – summer storms and hurricane season are a fact of life. And unfortunately, a direct result of one of these natural disasters can be damage to your home or property. In fact, about one in 15 insured homes has a claim each year according to Insurance Information Institute.