SOUTHWEST FLORIDA — Prepping for a storm isn't just about food, water and supplies. You also need to think about your insurance.
Floridians know it's not fun to deal with, especially if you have to file a claim after a storm, like Ian. For that hurricane, you only have until September 28 to do so.
Blake Day, president of Day Adjusting Consulting says people are still filing.
"We've actually had quite a bit whether it's churches, strip malls, individual homeowners," he said.
Watch below to see what you should do for your home before Helene hits:
There is a downfall to waiting.
"The people that are just filing, I'm telling them expect at least a year before we can get your claim paid out," he said.
He says many are also still fighting their insurance company, even considering a lawsuit. Throw Helene into the mix — it's a lot to handle.
Day says you can prepare for this storm to hopefully make life easier if you do have to file another claim.
"Before a hurricane hits, take videos and photos of the inside and outside of your property whether it's commercial or residential," Day said.
He says this way, if insurance tries to fight you on it, you have proof of what it looked like before the storm.
An issue some may run into is if you have damage still form Ian, then Helene causes more.
At that point, Day says you may need to get a structural engineer involved.
"Because between now and then we've had a couple other wind events come through, some pop up thunderstorms," Day said. "So we want to make sure that we can get our ducks in a row to be able to tie some of the damages that you say you have back to the hurricane."
That's why Day says the photos and videos are so important.
"The big thing is just document. Document, document, document," Day said.
He also suggests to know what's in your policy because you may have a hurricane deductible on top of a regular one.
