New Hampshire natives now living in Florida say homes damaged
New Hampshire natives now living in Florida say homes damaged
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New Hampshire natives now living in Florida say homes damaged
New Hampshire natives now living in Florida are starting to assess the damage to their homes in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
One of Florida’s largest public insurers, Citizens Property Insurance, has estimated that more than 225,000 claims will be filed, amounting to $3.8 billion in losses.
“It’s hard not to be with your family,” said Kristen Heaps, a New Hampshire native who now lives in Naples, Florida. “I was with friends, but my family is not here yet, so that was hard.”
“We lost the roof,” said Wayne Digeronimo, who moved from New Hampshire to Florida in January. “All of our shingling is gone, so we have to put a new roof down. We don’t even have furniture in the home yet.”
Insurance companies are busy assessing the damage.
“We’ve had 200-300 people just in this small company, FKS, that I’ve been working with,” said David Soucie, a senior licenses insurance adjuster. “But there are many other agencies that are looking for adjusters to go down and assist.”
He said he hasn’t seen anything like this in 17 years.
“I worked Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Katrina, and I haven’t seen this kind of response from the insurance companies, really since Katrina,” he said.
Much of the damage in the hurricane came from flooding, and residents who have taken a loan out on a home in a flood zone are required to have flood insurance. But if the home is paid for, it’s the homeowner’s decision whether to get insurance.
“If you can’t get insurance, you can go to FEMA,” Soucie said. “There’s a lot of complexity with this, and it’s really important to talk to experienced, licensed adjusters and get them out there as quickly as possible.”
Experts said anyone with any damage should contact their insurance company right away. Homeowners who have roof damage can call the Army Corps of Engineers to get a free tarp for the house.
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