Do not re-enter your property until local authorities have confirmed the area is safe. After a major hurricane, roads may be blocked by debris, floodwaters may remain, gas lines may be ruptured, and structural damage may make buildings dangerous. Wait for official clearance before returning. If you are unsure whether your neighborhood has been reopened, check with your parish emergency management office or the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP).

This is the single most important step you can take for your insurance claim. Before moving debris, beginning cleanup, or making any repairs, photograph and video every area of damage — roof, walls, windows, doors, ceilings, floors, contents, outbuildings, fencing, vehicles, and the surrounding property. Take wide establishing shots and close-up detail shots. Walk through the entire structure systematically. This documentation is the foundation of your claim and cannot be recreated once cleanup begins. The more thorough your visual record, the stronger your position when disputing an adjuster’s estimate.

You have a legal duty to mitigate further damage to your property — for example, placing a tarp over a destroyed section of roof to prevent additional water intrusion, or boarding up broken windows. Your insurer is required to cover the cost of reasonable emergency repairs made to prevent additional covered losses. However, do not make permanent repairs until your insurer has inspected the property. Document all emergency repairs with photos and keep every receipt — you will need them to be reimbursed.

Notify your insurance company of the damage as soon as possible after the storm. Louisiana law and your policy require prompt notice of loss — delay can give your insurer grounds to dispute or deny your claim. When you report, stick to the facts. Do not speculate about the cause of specific damage or estimate the extent of your losses before a proper assessment has been done. Keep a written record of every communication with your insurer, including dates, times, and the names of every representative you speak with.

Wind damage and flood damage are typically covered by separate policies. Your homeowner’s insurance policy covers wind damage — including wind-driven rain — while flood damage is covered under a separate flood insurance policy (either through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private carrier). After a hurricane, insurers frequently dispute whether specific damage was caused by wind or flood in order to shift responsibility to the other policy. Understanding which policies you hold, their limits, and their exclusions before you speak with your adjusters is essential. Pull out your declarations pages now if you have not already.

Your insurer will send an adjuster to assess the damage. Cooperate with the inspection, but understand that the adjuster works for the insurance company — not for you. Their job is to document damage in a way that limits the insurer’s payout. Walk through the entire property with the adjuster and point out every area of damage. Do not let them rush the inspection. If possible, have your own contractor or public adjuster present during the inspection to provide an independent perspective. Get a copy of the adjuster’s report as soon as it is available.

Keep every receipt related to the storm and its aftermath — emergency repairs, hotel stays, restaurant meals if your home is uninhabitable, storage costs, replacement purchases, and contractor estimates. If you have additional living expenses (ALE) coverage — which most homeowner’s policies include — your insurer must reimburse you for reasonable costs of temporary housing and living expenses while your home is being repaired. Detailed records are essential to recovering these costs.

Do not rely solely on your insurer’s damage estimate. Get written estimates from at least two or three licensed Louisiana contractors for the full scope of repairs. Insurer-approved estimates frequently underestimate repair costs — particularly in the post-storm construction market when material and labor costs have surged. Independent contractor estimates give you a basis to challenge an insufficient adjuster estimate and support a supplemental claim for additional damages.

After every major Louisiana hurricane, unlicensed and unscrupulous contractors flood the area targeting vulnerable property owners. Common scams include demanding large upfront payments and disappearing, performing substandard repairs, or signing over your insurance benefits through an Assignment of Benefits (AOB) agreement — which transfers your claim rights to the contractor. Before hiring any contractor, verify their Louisiana contractor’s license through the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC), check references, and never sign an AOB agreement without speaking to an attorney first.

Do not sign a settlement agreement, proof of loss, or release of any kind without first consulting a hurricane damage attorney. Early settlement offers from insurers are almost always lower than the full value of your covered losses — and once you sign a release, you cannot go back for more even if additional damage is discovered during repairs. A lawyer reviews any offer, advises you on whether it reflects your actual covered losses, and negotiates for the full amount you are owed.

Making permanent repairs before your insurer has inspected the damage can give them grounds to dispute your claim — arguing that the damage cannot be accurately assessed. Make only emergency repairs to prevent further damage, document everything, and wait for the inspection before proceeding with full repairs. If your insurer is slow to schedule an inspection, document your attempts to reach them in writing.

Damaged property — furniture, appliances, flooring, roofing materials, structural components — is evidence of the extent of your loss. Do not discard anything until your insurer has documented it or an independent adjuster or contractor has had the opportunity to inspect it. Photograph everything before any debris is removed, and keep a written inventory of all damaged contents with their approximate value and age.

If your insurer asks for a recorded statement, you are generally required to cooperate — but you have the right to be prepared before you speak. Review your policy, gather your documentation, and consider speaking with an attorney before giving a recorded statement. Adjusters are trained to ask questions in ways that can limit your claim. Anything you say in a recorded statement can be used to reduce your payout.

Insurance companies frequently make low initial offers in the hope that property owners — desperate to begin rebuilding — will accept without question. You are not required to accept any offer. If the initial offer does not reflect the full cost of your covered losses, you have the right to dispute it, supplement your claim with additional documentation, and negotiate for more. A hurricane damage attorney can tell you whether an offer is fair before you sign anything.

Your homeowner’s policy contains specific deadlines for reporting damage, filing proofs of loss, and initiating disputes. Louisiana law also imposes a one-year deadline from the date of loss to file a lawsuit over a property damage claim. Missing any of these deadlines can permanently bar your right to recover. Read your policy carefully and track every deadline — and contact an attorney immediately if you are approaching one.

Unlike the two-year deadline that applies to personal injury claims in Louisiana, property damage insurance claims have a one-year statute of limitations from the date of loss. This means you have one year from the date the hurricane damaged your property to file a lawsuit against your insurer if your claim is denied or unresolved. This deadline can sneak up on property owners who are focused on repairs and dealing with a slow-moving insurance process. Do not wait — contact an attorney well before this deadline if your claim is in dispute.

Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:1892 and 22:1973 impose penalties on insurers who arbitrarily deny, delay, or underpay valid claims. Under these statutes, an insurer who fails to pay a valid claim within the required timeframe — or who makes a settlement offer that is unreasonably low — can be liable for penalty damages of up to 50% of the claim value, plus attorney fees. These bad faith statutes are among the strongest in the country and provide important leverage in disputed hurricane damage claims.

After every major Louisiana hurricane, insurers dispute whether specific damage was caused by wind — covered under the homeowner’s policy — or flood — covered under a separate flood policy. This “concurrent cause” dispute is one of the most common tactics used to reduce claim payouts. When both wind and flood contributed to your damage, you may need an engineering expert to properly attribute the cause of each category of loss. An attorney experienced in hurricane claims can coordinate that process and pursue the right policy for each type of damage.

When levee failures, drainage system failures, or other public infrastructure breakdowns turn a manageable storm into a catastrophe, you may have a claim against a government entity in addition to your insurance claim. These claims are subject to strict notice and filing requirements — sometimes as short as 90 days — and are procedurally complex. If you believe government negligence contributed to your flood damage or property loss, contact an attorney immediately.

You should report the damage to your insurer as soon as possible — your policy requires prompt notice. For filing a lawsuit if your claim is denied or unresolved, Louisiana law imposes a one-year statute of limitations from the date of loss. This is shorter than the two-year deadline for personal injury claims. If your claim is in dispute and the one-year deadline is approaching, contact a hurricane damage attorney immediately.

If your insurer’s adjuster estimates your damage below your deductible, get independent contractor estimates before accepting that assessment. Adjuster estimates frequently undercount the full scope of damage — particularly when accounting for hidden damage, code compliance upgrades required by current building codes, or post-storm increases in labor and material costs. If independent estimates put your damage above your deductible, you have grounds to challenge the adjuster’s estimate and supplement your claim.

Your insurer may argue that failure to take pre-storm precautions constitutes a failure to mitigate damages — potentially reducing your claim. However, Louisiana courts have generally held that failure to take preparedness measures does not eliminate coverage for storm damage that would have occurred regardless. If your insurer is using your pre-storm preparations as a basis to deny or reduce your claim, speak with an attorney about challenging that position.

Replacement cost value (RCV) pays what it actually costs to repair or replace your damaged property with new materials of similar kind and quality — without any deduction for depreciation. Actual cash value (ACV) pays replacement cost minus depreciation — so a 15-year-old roof may be valued at a fraction of what it costs to replace it. Many homeowner’s policies pay ACV initially and release the depreciation holdback once repairs are actually completed. Understanding which standard your policy uses — and whether you are entitled to the holdback — can significantly affect your recovery.

If a contractor performed defective repairs that caused additional damage, failed to complete contracted work, or defrauded you by collecting payment without performing the work, you have legal remedies. These include breach of contract claims, negligence claims, and in cases of fraud, additional damages. If the contractor was unlicensed, you may also have recourse through the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. Contact an attorney to evaluate your specific situation.

When a home is declared a total loss, your insurer calculates the payout based on your policy’s coverage limit and whether you carry replacement cost value or actual cash value coverage. Insurers often dispute total loss valuations — particularly in high-cost post-storm construction markets where rebuilding costs have risen significantly. If your insurer’s total loss offer does not reflect what it actually costs to rebuild your home in today’s market, an independent appraisal and legal representation can help close that gap.

A public adjuster specializes in documenting and valuing property damage — they can be a valuable resource for complex damage assessments. However, a public adjuster cannot provide legal advice, pursue bad faith claims, or litigate on your behalf. If your insurer is disputing your claim, acting in bad faith, or if you are approaching litigation, you need an attorney. In many cases, a public adjuster and an attorney working together produce the strongest outcome for the property owner.

Nothing upfront. Mansfield Melancon handles hurricane damage cases on a contingency fee basis — no upfront costs, no hourly fees, and no out-of-pocket expenses. We only get paid when we recover compensation for you. If we do not win, you owe us nothing.