Texas and other coastal states are no strangers to hurricane activity. These incredibly powerful storms can greatly impact those affected, particularly when it comes to property damage. Understanding the many ways hurricanes can cause property damage and how that damage impacts businesses can help keep owners informed regarding what to anticipate during this hurricane season.
How Can Hurricanes Cause Property Damage?Â
Out of all recorded natural disasters in U.S. history, hurricanes are among the costliest events that result in the most deaths and destruction. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), just last year there were 20 separate billion-dollar weather disasters, amounting to a total of $145 billion in damage. 2021 was the seventh consecutive year where 10 or more billion-dollar disaster events occurred nationally.Â
Hurricanes are powerful natural disasters with the ability to wreak havoc on the land, physical structures and contents, and people. Any hurricane, even a category 1 hurricane, has the ability to cause significant property damage. With this in mind, it’s important to consider just how hurricanes can severely damage property. Some of the most common causes of hurricane damage include:
High Winds
With speeds ranging from 95 mph up to 157 mph, hurricane-strength winds can be incredibly powerful. Hurricane strength winds have the potential to uproot trees and other debris, turning them into high-speed projectiles that can be incredibly dangerous. Not only that, but winds stemming from a hurricane can even lift entire roof systems off of buildings and cause serious structural damage.
Heavy RainfallÂ
Hurricanes often bring prolonged and intense rainfall, which can result in significant flooding. As many saw with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, hurricanes can produce up to 50 inches of rainfall. This volume of rain can result in mass flooding and leave areas inundated with water. The resulting flooding can damage lower levels of buildings, vehicles, and vegetation, and can take days or even weeks to fully subside.
Storm Surge
A storm surge refers to the unusual rise of water caused by high winds during a storm. Storm surges can raise water up to 20 feet and span hundreds of miles along the coast. Storm tides are similar events that occur when the storm surge and tide cause dangerous rises in water levels. Storm surges can wreak havoc on coastal areas and severely damage property.
Tornadoes
The high wind speeds hurricanes produce can spawn a tornado. Although hurricane-driven tornadoes are comparatively weaker than others that occur, they can still be incredibly dangerous and deadly – uprooting trees, toppling homes and businesses, and creating more windborne projectiles out of storm debris.
Hurricane Property Damage Insurance
Commercial properties suffer major losses due to hurricanes each year. Despite being among the most devastating types of natural disaster events, insurance companies rarely cover hurricane property damage. Rather, comprehensive coverage for hurricane damage can be obtained through purchasing and/or bundling several different policies. Typically, by combining commercial property, windstorm, and flood insurance policies, business owners will have coverage for the following types of hurricane damage:Â
- Buildings and Structures: Properties including office buildings, production facilities, manufacturing warehouses, and other business structures are generally covered when a hurricane causes property and structural damage.
- The Contents and Interior of the Property: Most standard commercial insurance policies will cover the contents inside of the property, including furnishings, fixtures, computers, electronic equipment, and other items within the interior damaged by a hurricane.
- Product Inventory: If a business relies on transporting products to consumers, having hurricane-damaged inventory can be devastating to its operations. Luckily, most policies include coverage for inventory and cargo that has been damaged or compromised due to a storm or hurricane.
- Equipment and Machinery: Machinery – including vehicles, aircraft, tools, and equipment – can be damaged in a hurricane. But, commercial vehicles can be covered by one policy while specialized equipment may need to be covered by a separate policy.
- Flood Damage: Private commercial flood policies or those purchased through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) can help insure a property against damage caused by flood events stemming from hurricanes.
- Business Closures: If a commercial property suffered hurricane damage that left the building inoperable for some period of time, a separate business interruption policy can help to cover the costs of wages, lost revenue, and other overhead and operational expenses.
Hurricane Insurance Coverage AttorneysÂ
As the 2022 hurricane season gets underway, it’s important for business owners to ensure they are well protected against these storms by having the right insurance coverage in place. Unfortunately, however, insurance companies are for-profit businesses that act in their own best interests. This can often be incredibly upsetting for business owners who may find an insurer has wrongly delayed, grossly underpaid, or denied their valid hurricane insurance claim.
The hurricane insurance coverage attorneys at Raizner Slania work to hold these insurance providers accountable for their bad faith tactics. Our team is well versed in the myriad of ways insurance companies attempt to thwart the claims process to turn a profit for themselves. If you are a commercial property owner whose business has been damaged by a hurricane and you need assistance with an insurance claim, contact our office today to see how we can help get you back to business.
