The 2020 tornado season began horrifically as Easter Sunday storms ripped through southern states from Louisiana through Alabama, spawning multiple deadly tornadoes. At least 19 deaths were reported as of dawn Monday after the holiday, a death toll that is expected to rise. News from multiple states is grim.
In the immediate aftermath of tornado, 11 people were reported killed in Mississippi. Six people lost their live to the wicked storm in Georgia. Search and rescues report one death so far in both South Carolina and Arkansas.
As the virtually incomprehensible storm roared through these states, it grew in geographic scope, spawning fierce storms in Texas, Georgia, and West Virginia. The storm system is now tracking towards the Northeastern seaboard.
A yet unknown number of people have been hospitalized with injuries resulting from the storm system overnight. Search and rescue is ongoing and involves hundreds of emergency responders across the multi-state region. Nearly a million people are without power in a 10-state region in the aftermath of Sunday’s violent weather.
Hundreds of homes and businesses have suffered significant damage because of the Easter tornadoes and related weather events. Multiple governors are expected to declare states of emergencies in many of the impacted states, the governors of Louisiana and Mississippi taking this step before sunrise on Monday.
Massive Weather Property Losses in U.S.A. Year After Year
Every year across the United States, losses sustained by businessowners and homeowners as the result of catastrophic weather events like the Easter Sunday tornadoes are huge. In 2018, the total amount of insured weather-related losses reached $52 billion. In 2017, storm losses to businessowners and homeowners reached $78 billion. (Loss estimates for 2019 remain incomplete as of this time, but will also be enormous.)
Business and Residential Casualty Insurance Claims Following the Easter Tornadoes
Reports from across the South make clear that significant damage was sustained by commercial and residential properties across the storm-struck region. Claims were being filed with insurance companies early Monday morning. The reality is that businessowners and homeowners oftentimes need immediate assistance from their insurance companies to cover urgent costs associated with protecting properties from further damage following a major weather event. In addition, time is of the essence in addressing overall losses sustained by businesses and at residences following tornadoes, hurricanes, and other severe weather events.
Unfortunately, in the aftermath of these tragic events, insurance companies frequently engage in what technically are known as unfair claims settlement practices. Without providing a legal treatise on insurance company unfair claims settlement practices, suffice to say that insurers commonly pull out all the stops – legal and otherwise – in an attempt to forgo paying claims or to settle claims for a dollar amount far below what a claim warrants.
In the final analysis, insurance companies are business for one primary purpose: to make money. The bottom line is that massive insurance corporations increase their revenue and profits by spending less money on claims.
The Doan Law Firm insurance claims lawyer team is available to assist businessowners and others who find themselves facing an insurance company that is obstinate about paying a claim. You can get answers to your questions by calling us any time of the day or night at (800) 349-0000.
Business Loss Insurance: Protecting Your Rights When Taking on a Mammoth Insurance Company
In addition to substantial physical damage to property following the Easter Sunday tornadoes, businesses impacted by the storms face another dilemma. Oftentimes in the aftermath of a tornado, hurricane, or other major weather event, damaged businesses are unable to reopen for a period of time.
Many proactive businessowners maintain business loss insurance or business interruption insurance to cover such a situation. Unfortunately, insurers have become notorious for unnecessarily delaying or denying outright claims made by businessowners through business loss or business interruption policies.
Making these types of claims is complicated by the fact that many businesses have suspended operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This makes pursuing insurance coverage or compensation to which you may be entitled an even more complicated endeavor. A business loss insurance claim lawyer or business interruption insurance claim attorney can be reached via our around-the-clock hotline at (800) 349-0000.
There is no charge for an initial consultation. Indeed, our firm never charges an attorney fee unless we win for you.