When Kyle Baldrich walked in calf deep waters to check on his Punta Gorda home after Hurricane Helene, he had one thought on his mind.
“All the nonsense with insurance,” said Baldrich, who suffered flood damage from Helene. “I’m sure it’s going to be another tango with them. But we’ll see how that works out.”
But just two weeks later, many of the same southwest Florida neighbors hit by Helene, were hit again by Hurricane Milton.
With the quick timeline, it leaves many homeowners scrambling.
Mark Friedlander with the Insurance Information Institute says if you haven’t yet filed a claim for your Helene damage, “things get a little muddy.”
“How did the damage occur? Which storm caused which damage?”
Friedlander recommends homeowners reach out to their insurance provider or adjuster with documentation and pictures of damage after Helene but prior to Milton.
According to state records, more than 100,000 homeowners have filed insurance claims due to Milton damage.
Helene saw around half as many.
Friedlander says that’s because Helene was mostly a flood and storm surge event, which falls under different insurance policies, while Milton brought wind and flooding.
“Nearly half the claims (in Helene) that have been filed to date are auto claims, auto insurance loss, flooded vehicles,” said Friedlander.
