Friday, August 13th, 2004 — Residents of coastal areas can take steps now to make the insurance claims process move smoothly should their property be damaged by Hurricane Charley, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).
According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, as of 2 p.m. ET, Charley had grown to a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph).
Hurricane damage is covered under standard homeowners/renters policies. If a home is damaged or destroyed by a hurricane, residents will be covered for the cost of temporary repairs to prevent further damage. If the storm makes one‘s home uninhabitable, they will be covered for reasonable additional living expenses.
Flooding is generally not covered under standard homeowners policies, but is available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency‘s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).