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Disaster Relief

What to Do After a Storm

Read Time: 4 Minutes November 05, 2024
Topics:
Natural Disaster Disaster Preparedness Property Damage Insurance

If your area has been affected by a storm such as a hurricane or tornado, stay calm and be aware of remaining dangers in your environment. Follow these tips to keep yourself and your family safe and recover your losses from any damages to your property.

1. Be cautious when returning from an evacuation.

Don’t attempt to return home until authorities say it’s safe. After a hurricane, flooding can last for days. Travel carefully and watch out for damaged roadways or bridges. To check road conditions in your area, call 511 toll free.

Do not walk or drive through floodwaters. Do not put your life at risk. You can’t tell how deep the floodwaters really are, and the water could be electrically charged due to submerged power lines or concealing other hazards that could hurt you or disable your vehicle. Remember, just six inches of moving water is enough to knock you over or sweep your vehicle away.

Communicate to loved ones. Reach out to friends and family to let them know you’re safe. You can register with the American Red Cross’ Safe and Well website so that others can locate you.

2. Assess any damage to your home.

Immediately document any damage. Do a walkthrough of your home and property and record conditions, narrating any damage. Be sure to take still photos as well. The more documentation you have, the easier it will be to file an insurance claim.

Only make temporary repairs for now. If you need to take measures to prevent further damage, such as covering broken windows with plastic to keep rain out, do so as long as it’s safe. Do not make (or hire anyone to make) any permanent repairs until your insurance adjuster evaluates your home and files a claim.

Do not hire unlicensed contractors. The days following a natural disaster can be especially stressful for those affected – but remain vigilant for individuals who might want to take advantage of you during this time. Do not contract with anyone for repairs until your insurance claim has been filed. Then evaluate potential contractors through online review sites such as Google®, Yelp® or the Better Business Bureau®. Finally, do not pay for work in advance, and steer clear of any contractor who demands full or half payment upfront.

3. Find a safe place to stay.

If you’re unable to stay in your house, the “loss of use” coverage included in many homeowner’s insurance policies might help pay for a temporary place to stay, so long as the damage is documented with a valid claim. Read over your policy or ask your agent if you have loss of use coverage, how much it covers, and how long it lasts. You can use FEMA’s Interim Housing Resources to find rental housing. If you’re in need of emergency shelter, text SHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362 (ex: SHELTER12345).

4. Contact Newrez.

Once your family is safe, reach out to us so we can offer assistance with your mortgage:

  • If your home is damaged and you’re unable to make your mortgage payment, call us at 866-317-2347.
  • Apply for federal disaster relief by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462-7585), or go to DisasterAssistance.gov to find out if you qualify for Individual Disaster Assistance.
  • For step-by-step instructions on how to file a FEMA flood disaster claim and how to work with your insurance company, go to fema.gov/nfip-file-your-claim.
  • If you’ve recently filed a claim with your homeowners insurance company, please register on our online loss draft portal to manage your claim. View the resources on the home page and then click Log in / Register to get started. In the portal, you can:
    • Track your claim progress
    • Upload and sign documents
    • Sign up for alerts
    • Find answers to FAQs
    • Watch a short video about the loss draft process
    • Learn about your responsibilities

If you need further help with your claim, please contact our Proctor Claims Department at (877) 826-4433.

Additional resources for those affected by a storm:

American Red Cross | Help Those Affected by Disasters

Help after a natural disaster (Freddie Mac®)

Disaster Resiliency and Relief | Fannie Mae®

Be patient – help is on its way.

After a disaster, agencies and individuals work as quickly as they to help those affected – but assistance might take longer than we’d like. Federal damage inspection teams should conduct extensive reviews of the affected area, utility crews should restore services as soon as they’re able, and insurance adjusters should move rapidly to file insurance claims. Keep in mind that extreme hardship cases often come first.

If you have mortgage questions, log in to your Newrez account and utilize the online chat function on your dashboard, or call us at 866-317-2347. If you’re unable to stay in your home, update your address to your temporary address within your online account, or give us your temporary address over the phone.

 

Google® is a registered trademark of Google LLC. Yelp® is a registered trademark of Yelp Inc. Better Business Bureau® is a registered trademark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. Fannie Mae® is a registered trademark of the Federal National Mortgage Association and Freddie Mac® is a registered trademark of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. Any above-mentioned companies are not affiliated with Newrez LLC.