CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) — An Insurance Village in Clearwater is offering free help to anyone who’s trying to file an insurance claim after Hurricane Helene.
The pop-up resource center opened in Clearwater on Friday.
More than three dozen insurance agencies, along with representatives from FEMA, are on site to expedite the filing of insurance claims.
Some homeowners are in limbo while they wait for the money needed to rebuild.
“We’re waiting on two more adjusters to come out, one from the flood insurance agency,” Bridgette Bello said. “It’s been eight days, and they haven’t been here yet.”
Bello was able to get her questions answered after sitting down with a FEMA representative.
“I was able to make contact with my homeowners and my flood insurance people, and miraculously, all of a sudden, got two phone calls saying that they would be here this afternoon,” Bello said.
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said when disasters hit, sometimes people do not know where to start.
“You come here, we’ve got our folks here that will hold your hand through that process,” he said. “We also have a referral system here on which contractors are reputable to do business with.”
Patronis said it’s important to review contracts carefully, especially in the wake of a storm.
“If you have signed a document and you didn’t really know what you signed, we’re not all attorneys,” Patronis said. “If you signed it under duress or pressure, bring the document here, we’ve got 10 days under Florida law to get you out of any contract assignment.”
Officials encourage policyholders to arrive with documentation about their loss or repair estimates.
“Ideally come in with a driver’s license, at least, we can then reverse engineer,” Patronis said. “If you may not even know who your policy is with, we can do some reverse engineering with you, because typically, if you have a mortgage, your mortgage is going to require you to have insurance. Your insurance will be attached to your payment and escrow. So we can help you unpack and walk you through the steps to get the claim.”
The Insurance Village will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Long Center at 1501 N Belcher Road in Clearwater.
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