Hurricane Windstorm Insurance

• Florida state law requires insurance providers covering homeowners throughout the state to include coverage for damage caused by hurricane windstorms. Types of residential properties with mandated coverage include mobile homes, condos, co-ops or apartments. Hurricane insurance covers any storm damage caused from the time the National Hurricane Center issues a warning to 72 hours after the warning ends. Maximum deductibles for hurricane damage are 2 percent of all damages for real estate valued less than $100,000 and 5 percent for property of higher value, as of 2011.
  
  

Flood Insurance

• Hurricane insurance will cover damages caused by wind-driven rain, but doesn't cover damages caused by floodwaters invading your property after a storm. This requires a separate flood insurance policy. Many cities and towns in South Florida participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, a program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, which offers federally subsidized insurance for high-risk flood areas. These high-risk areas are known as flood zones, which are areas prone to be completely saturated by water once every 100 years. Residential insurance packages through the National Flood Insurance Program offer up to $250,000 for building and $100,000 for contents; small business policies cover $500,000 for both building and contents, as of 2011.
  
  

Stormwater Drainage

• Real estate regulations regarding disaster preparedness for the South Florida area include mandatory stormwater drainage areas. This is usually regulated at the local government level. The city of Tamarac in Broward County has required new real estate developments to provide areas for new stormwater drainage on all construction projects since 1979. Residential stormwater drainage is often required to connect to a local drainage system for removal.
  
  

Filing Claims

• South Florida residents should document all damages and report them as soon as possible to their insurance policy provider; record any expenses made for necessary emergency repairs; and provide those expenses to your policy provider as well. In the case that you have different providers for homeowners, hurricane and flood insurance, you should file all claims with all three providers and let them decide who pays what. Insurance providers do not suggest repair contractors, so make sure that your contractor is licensed by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation before hiring him.