Safety First

• Listen for news reports to learn whether the community’s water supply is safe to drink.
• Avoid floodwaters. Water may be contaminated or electrically charged from underground or downed power lines.
• Avoid moving water.
• Be aware of areas where floodwaters have receded. Roads may have weakened and could collapse under the weight of a car.

Report Your Claim

You can report your claim one of two ways. Be ready to provide a general description of your damage.

1. Call Baumann Insurance at 818-704-6625
2. Contact your insurance company directly

Make Temporary Repairs

If you have flood damage to your property or your car, it is your responsibility to take action to prevent further damage.

Save all receipts from your temporary repairs.

• Cover broken windows and holes in roofs with tarps or plywood to prevent water damage.
• Move wet items to drier ground.
• Wash and dry whatever you can.
• Service damaged septic tanks, cesspools, pits, and leaching systems as soon as possible. Damaged sewage systems are serious health hazards.
• Clean and disinfect everything that got wet. Mud left from floodwater can contain sewage and chemicals.

Document the Damage

Make a complete list of items that the flood damaged. This will help expedite the claims process. Document the damage with photos and videos.

Don’t throw out damaged items, especially expensive items.

Schedule Repairs

Most insurance companies require that you to wait until the damage to your property has been assessed by a claims representative before you begin making permanent repairs.

However, you should schedule a contractor to make permanent repairs as soon as possible because contractors can be difficult to schedule after a storm.

Review Your Insurance Policy

Standard home insurance policies don't cover flooding.

Check your policy to see what’s covered and the deductible you’ve chosen. Reviewing your policy will help you prepare questions for your claims professional.

Understand Your Responsibilities

Your insurance company will replace damaged items and materials with the same type and quality of materials you had before the damage occurred. For example, if you had a fiberglass roof, they will pay to repair or replace damage with fiberglass materials, but they won’t pay to replace it with more expensive slate tile.

If damage is extensive, people sometimes decide to take the opportunity to upgrade their property with better or more expensive materials.

If you want to pay the additional expense to upgrade, you’re welcome to do so out of your personal budget.

Any time you make improvements to your property, let us know to make sure you have enough insurance coverage, and to find out if you are eligible for new discounts as a result of your home improvements.