Hit by Disaster? How to Get What You Deserve From Insurers or FEMA

If your home was damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene, the most daunting challenge may still be ahead: Getting your insurance company, or the federal government, to give you the money you’re entitled to receive.That process can be infuriating and baffling, and it comes during what is already an incredibly stressful moment in your life.Worse still, the stakes are enormous.

You can’t afford to get it wrong.The New York Times asked experts what to do, and what to avoid.Their advice boils down to two points: You don’t need to settle for whatever your insurance company or FEMA first offers you.

And you don’t have to fight them alone.Document everythingPhotograph the damage to your home as soon as you can.When you speak to anybody from your insurance company or from a government agency, make notes about the conversation, including when it happened and what the person said.If you spend money on repairs or supplies while you’re out of the house, keep all receipts.Your insurance payout won’t be easyIf the amount of damage to your home is small — say, not much more than the deductible on your insurance policy — think twice before you file a claim.As the cost of disasters grows, insurers nationwide are increasingly dropping customers who make one or two claims.

Getting reimbursed by your insurer over a small amount of damage may not be worth the trouble later if you can’t find insurance.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....