Editorial guides

Hurricanes guides

Source-backed Hurricanes guidance for US homeowners — insurance, prep, and how to read a hazard page.

A hurricane claim usually involves two policies and two deductibles. Wind is covered by your homeowners policy, often with a separate hurricane or named-storm deductible set as a percentage of the dwelling limit. Surge and rising water need flood insurance. Several states regulate those deductibles. Florida requires insurers to offer $500, 2%, 5% and 10% options (Fla. Stat. 627.701), and Louisiana applies the separate deductible once per calendar year (La. R.S. 22:1337).

The state pages put those rules in context: Florida covers what Helene and Milton showed in 2024, and Louisiana covers Laura and Ida. To work out what you'd pay, see flat versus percentage deductibles, with examples. To understand why claims get split or denied, read wind versus water after a hurricane. The hurricane prep checklist covers the work to do before June 1.

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