Start your insurance claim today
Claim numbers, NFIP timing, contents lists, ALE, and wind vs flood fights.
Home / Start your insurance claim today
Status, maps, and claim portals change by the hour. Open the org site. Do not trust a screenshot from last night.
- Texas Department of Insurance storm resources Claim FAQs and complaints. Help line 800-252-3439 if you cannot find your carrier.
- FloodSmart / NFIP Policy education. The carrier on your dec page is the claim route.
- FEMA flood insurance claims NFIP claim steps. Deadlines are policy- and disaster-specific. Do not reuse a Harvey date.
Additional living expenses if you cannot stay home
ALE is extra living cost from a covered homeowners loss, not a flood-policy hotel fund, so confirm you have it before you book like it will reimburse.
Call, claim number, and photos before you forget
Call the carrier today, write the claim number on paper, and photograph the water line before anyone starts moving furniture.
Contents inventory that adjusters can use
Adjusters pay from lists they can price, so give them room, item, age, and a photo instead of a sad pile on the curb.
Disagreements on scope: second opinions
If the estimate skips wet rooms or prices a wipe-down where you need drywall cut, get a second written scope before you accept the number.
Flood policy vs homeowners: what usually covers what
Rising street or bayou water is usually a flood policy, wind and rain through the roof is usually homeowners, and Houston storms often trigger both.
If you never bought flood insurance: options left
You cannot buy a policy for water that already entered, but you still have insurance you do have, FEMA if declared, SBA, and local aid.
Keeping receipts for everything you buy this week
If you buy it to dry, dump, eat, or sleep because of this flood, keep the receipt and a photo of the receipt the same day.
NFIP claims: the rough timeline Houstonians hit
NFIP is slower than a car claim, so report now, meet the adjuster, and watch the Proof of Loss deadline like it is a second flood.
What to say (and not say) when the adjuster visits
Show the water line, the rooms, and your list, and do not guess causes, perform toughness, or sign a blank scope.
Wind vs flood arguments after a tropical storm
Document the roof and the silt as two losses, because after a Houston tropical storm each insurer will try to hand the kitchen to the other.