Tropical Storm Erin is moving westward across the Atlantic quickly and is expected to become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season on Thursday, Aug. 14, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
It’s still too early to determine if Erin will impact Florida or any land. But if you’re a Florida homeowner, the time to review your insurance policy and prepare your home for any major storms in the 2025 Hurricane Season is now.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, with the peak of the season on Sept. 10. If you wait until there’s a major hurricane barreling toward Florida to understand any of the coverage gaps in your home insurance policy, you could lose thousands of dollars if your home is damaged in a storm.
Even those familiar with their policy and its coverage may overlook taking “before” pictures and videos of their home and property until they’re notified of an impending storm.
Here are some proactive steps you can take now to ensure you receive the best possible insurance payout should your home or property be damaged in a storm, if you can buy insurance during hurricane season and what we know about Tropical Storm Erin’s potential impacts on Florida.
Should you take pictures of your house before a hurricane?
Yes. Aside from the obvious ways to physically prepare your home for any expected damage — boarding up windows, having sandbags, securing patio furniture, etc. — there is an often-overlooked hurricane prep step that could save you a lot of money.
Familiarizing yourself with a few key things in your home and flood insurance policies will help you understand what costs you are responsible for covering should your home be damaged. Documenting the condition of your home and most valuable possessions while they’re still intact could make the process of filing a claim after the storm much easier.
What kind of insurance do you need for a hurricane?
The “exclusions” section of your home insurance policy details specific types of damage that your policy doesn’t cover.
If disaster hits, you don’t want to be left in the dark about any gaps in your policy coverage. For example, if you’re a new homeowner, you might not know that flood and home insurance are typically sold separately. Most home insurance policies don’t cover damages sustained from flooding.
To familiarize yourself with what your policy or policies do and don’t cover and if there are costs you might be responsible for covering after the storm, re-read the “Exclusions” and “Duties After Loss” sections of your home or flood insurance policies.
Homeowners’ insurance policies usually cover damage from strong winds, including strong winds from hurricanes. But your policy might have a separate deductible for hurricane damage.
Hurricane Season 2025: What to document for insurance now
Don’t wait until your belongings are gone to find out how valuable they are. If your insurance company has to assess any post-storm damage to your home or property, they will probably ask if you have any proof or documentation of its condition before the storm.
Whether you can give that to your insurer will likely determine how much compensation you get back for damages.
Before the tropics ramp up for the season, use your phone camera to take a long, slow video of your home and property to document what it looks like when everything is in its place and narrate, taking note of your most valuable items. Take photos of your home and property as well.
If you can do this before a named storm is headed toward Florida, it’s one less thing to think about when preparing to evacuate or hunker down for a hurricane.
If you want to be really thorough, make a detailed list of your valuable belongings and include receipts for more expensive items like appliances, furniture and electronics. At the very least, consider taking pictures of these items to provethey were not damaged before the storm.
Digitally back up important documents during hurricane season
Don’t rely on paper copies of your most important documents, including your home or flood insurance policy documents.
Most Floridians know to keep their insurance policies, family medical information, deeds, wills and other important paperwork in a fireproof, waterproof box or safe deposit box. But accessing those physical copies can be challenging in an emergency situation.
Scanning and uploading your insurance policies and other important documents to a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive, iCloud or Dropbox, allows you to access them as long as you have cell service or Wi-Fi access.
If you do this before the hurricane season ramps up, it’s one less thing to think about when a storm is approaching.
When is the 2025 Hurricane Season?
The Atlantic Hurricane Season officially starts on June 1 and ends on Nov. 30 every year.
Can I get insurance right before a hurricane?
There are certain times when buying homeowners’ insurance is virtually impossible in Florida. You can sometimes buy homeowners’ insurance during hurricane season, but not always. When insurance companies issue a policy, they’re hoping you won’t have to file a claim. The likelier it is that you will file a claim for storm damages, the warier they are of issuing you a policy.
This is why most insurance companies don’t sell homeowners’ insurance 24 to 48 hours before a storm is anticipated to hit the state.
Rules regarding when you can and cannot buy homeowners’ insurance vary depending on the insurance provider you choose. But it’s usually very difficult to get a new home insurance policy during hurricane season in Florida, no matter who you are insured with.
Is there a hurricane coming toward Florida? Expected impacts from Tropical Storm Erin
No tropical storm — or hurricane — watches or warnings have been issued for Florida or the United States as of Tuesday, Aug. 12, and it’s too early to tell whether Erin will impact the U.S., according to the National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service and Florida Division of Emergency Management.
“There is even greater uncertainty in what impacts, if any, might occur in portions of the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, the east coast of the United States, and Bermuda next week,” the National Hurricane Center said at 11 a.m. on Aug. 12.
Even if Erin does avoid a landfall in Florida, “there will be a significant increase in seas, surf and rip currents along the East Coast beaches next weekend into the following week,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill. “Dangerous conditions may develop in Bermuda and parts of the Bahamas, as well.”
Key messages from the National Hurricane Center: What you need to know about Tropical Storm Erin
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tropical Storm Erin expected to strengthen: What to document for insurance before a storm
Reporting by Lianna Norman and Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
