A hurricane claim is the one property claim that routinely involves two different policies for one event. Wind damage is normally a homeowners peril; rising water is normally covered only by flood insurance, which is a separate policy. A hurricane insurance adjuster for the carrier is reading that boundary, and a hurricane public adjuster is the person you hire to argue it from your side. After a named storm the deductible usually changes too, which surprises households at the worst moment.
Wind or water, and why it decides the claim
If the roof opened and rain came in, that is generally a wind driven loss under the homeowners policy. If water rose from outside and entered at ground level, that is generally flood, and flood is a separate policy with its own adjuster, its own forms and its own deadlines. Real hurricanes do both, often in the same room, and the two carriers each have an incentive to see the other peril. That is the argument a hurricane claim usually is.
The named storm deductible
Many coastal policies carry a separate hurricane or named storm deductible, expressed as a share of the dwelling limit rather than as a flat sum, and it applies only when a storm meets the policy's trigger. It is normally much larger than the ordinary deductible. Find yours before the season rather than after, because it changes whether a moderate claim is worth making and how much of the loss you are carrying yourself.
Two claims, two sets of paperwork
If both policies respond, you are running two claims in parallel with different adjusters, different proof requirements and, on the flood side, statutory deadlines for the proof of loss. Keep separate files. Photograph the water line, and photograph the roof and the openings, because those two sets of images are the evidence for the two different claims. Make sure each adjuster knows the other claim exists rather than discovering it later.
What a public adjuster adds here
Allocation, mostly. Where a loss is genuinely part wind and part water, somebody has to apportion the damage room by room and defend it, and neither carrier's adjuster has an incentive to do that generously. A public adjuster also runs the deadlines, which after a regional event is a real service, and handles the reinspections when the first scope is written quickly by an adjuster carrying hundreds of files.
Questions people ask about hurricane public adjuster
Does homeowners insurance cover hurricane damage?
Wind damage, generally yes, subject to a named storm deductible. Rising water is generally excluded and is covered by a separate flood policy instead.
What is a named storm deductible?
A larger deductible that applies only when the loss is caused by a storm meeting the policy's trigger, usually expressed as a share of the dwelling limit rather than a fixed sum.
Can I claim on both policies for one hurricane?
Yes, where both perils caused damage. They are separate claims with separate adjusters and separate paperwork, and the apportionment between them is the part most often disputed.
Are there deadlines on a flood claim?
Yes, flood claims carry their own documentation deadlines, including for the proof of loss, and they are stricter than most homeowners timelines. Check them at the start rather than near the end.