Storm Knowledge: Before, During and After a Hurricane

10 articles for the after stage. Clear

After the storm

The first days of recovery: safety, claims and repairs.

The First 24 Hours After the Storm

What is genuinely urgent, what can wait, and the injuries people get by rushing.

Safety Source: FEMA / Ready.gov and Florida Division of Emergency Management

Document Damage Before You Clean Up

The most expensive mistake after a storm is tidying up before photographing. Do this first.

Insurance & claims Source: Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services

Filing a Property Insurance Claim in Florida

How the process actually runs, what insurers owe you, and where people lose money.

Insurance & claims Source: Florida Department of Financial Services

Hiring a Contractor After a Storm: Verify the Licence First

Unlicensed contracting is the most common way a storm claim goes wrong. It takes two minutes to check.

Recovery & assistance Source: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation

Post-Storm Scams: The Ones That Actually Happen

The recurring schemes that follow every Florida storm, and the one rule that defeats most of them.

Scams & fraud Source: Florida Attorney General and Florida Department of Financial Services

Mold Starts in 48 Hours: What to Do First

Why the first two days after water gets in decide how bad this gets, and what to do about it.

Home & damage Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FEMA

Water Damage: The First Things to Do

The order of operations that limits both the damage and the claim dispute.

Home & damage Source: FEMA / Ready.gov

Is Your Food Still Safe After a Power Outage?

The four-hour and 48-hour rules, and the foods that are never worth the risk.

Health & food Source: FoodSafety.gov (USDA/FDA) and CDC

What a Public Adjuster Does, and What They Cannot Do

How the role differs from the insurer's adjuster, what Florida caps their fee at, and how to check one.

Insurance & claims Source: Florida Department of Financial Services

Applying for FEMA Individual Assistance

Who qualifies, what it does and does not pay for, and how to avoid the fraud that follows every disaster.

Recovery & assistance Source: FEMA

About this knowledge base

Every article here summarises published guidance from an official authority — the Florida Division of Emergency Management, FEMA, the National Weather Service, the CDC, the Florida Department of Financial Services and others — and names that authority so you can read the original.

This is general information for Florida residents. It is not legal, insurance, medical or construction advice, and it never replaces instructions from your county emergency management office or an emergency responder.

Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.