Welcome to ICC

We're Insurance Claim Consultants, and for 35 years we've been helping neighbors across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia navigate hurricane damage claims. We handle everything—documentation, negotiation, settlement—so you can focus on recovery. We're not here to dramatize what you're going through. We're here to help you rebuild.

Ready to unlock your policy's full potential? Click the ICC logo below to talk with us live via phone or video. We're here when you need us.

Understanding Hurricane Damage in the Southeast

The Atlantic coast from the Outer Banks through the Georgia Sea Islands faces unique hurricane vulnerabilities. Storm surge combines with sustained winds to create simultaneous wind and water damage—a complexity that often leaves homeowners caught between homeowners and flood insurance policies, each insurer pointing to the other's coverage.

Hurricane damage typically involves multiple types of losses occurring at once:

• Wind damage: Rips shingles, tears at structural elements, breaks windows and doors
• Water intrusion: Rain driven through damaged openings saturates interiors
• Storm surge: Brings brackish water that corrodes electrical systems and ruins building materials
• Tree damage: Fallen trees puncture roofs and crush structures
• Mold growth: Power outages and humidity create rapid contamination

Each type of damage may fall under different insurance policies or policy sections. Wind damage typically falls under your homeowners policy. Storm surge and coastal flooding require separate flood insurance through NFIP or private carriers. The boundary between "wind-driven rain" and "flood" becomes a point of dispute when adjusters arrive. This is where experienced public adjusters make the difference between a fair settlement and years of financial struggle.

Why Choose a Public Adjuster for Hurricane Claims

Insurance companies have adjusters working for them—shouldn't you have someone working for you? A public adjuster is your advocate, working solely on your behalf to maximize your claim settlement. We know the tactics insurers use to minimize hurricane payouts, and we know how to counter them.

In 2024 alone, we helped a Wilmington homeowner recover an additional $127,000 that their insurance company initially denied for wind-driven rain damage and structural repairs. After Hurricane Florence, we helped a Charleston family secure $89,000 in properly attributed wind damage that their insurer tried to classify as flood. That's the difference an experienced public adjuster makes—we find what others miss and fight attribution games that cost you tens of thousands.

Why Hurricane Claims Get Denied or Underpaid

Insurance companies face enormous exposure after major hurricanes. The pressure to minimize payouts intensifies. Common tactics include:

• Attribution disputes: Adjusters attribute wind damage to flood (or vice versa) to shift coverage to a different policy or exclude it entirely. A roof failure during the storm becomes "pre-existing wear and tear." Water damage through blown-out windows gets classified as flood rather than wind-driven rain.
• Inadequate scope assessment: Staff adjusters document obvious roof damage but overlook saturated insulation, compromised electrical systems, or mold beginning in wall cavities. They may not account for the full cost of bringing repairs up to current coastal building codes.
• Depreciation manipulation: Insurers push replacement cost down to actual cash value, deducting years of depreciation even when your policy promises replacement coverage. They claim materials are no longer available and offer inferior substitutes.
• Hurricane deductible confusion: Many coastal policies carry percentage deductibles (2-5% of dwelling value) rather than flat amounts. On a $400,000 home, a 5% deductible means $20,000 out of pocket—but insurers may apply this deductible incorrectly or to damages that shouldn't trigger it.
• Delay tactics: After major storms, insurers slow-walk claims, requiring multiple inspections and endless documentation. They hope exhausted property owners will accept lowball offers rather than wait months for proper settlement.

After Hurricane Matthew, we saw Myrtle Beach claims take 18+ months to settle. Following Hurricane Florence, New Bern homeowners faced similar delays and systematic underpayment. Don't navigate this alone—ICC has recovered over $18.7 million in denied or undervalued hurricane claims.

Understanding Wind vs. Flood Damage

This distinction determines whether your hurricane claim is covered, denied, or fought over for years. Understanding it helps you document properly and push back against insurer games.

Wind damage (typically covered by homeowners insurance):

• Roof damage: Torn or missing shingles, damaged roof decking, compromised flashing
• Structural wind pressure: Walls pushed in, roof lifted, framing compromised
• Broken openings: Windows and doors broken by wind or wind-borne debris
• Wind-driven rain: Water damage that entered through wind-created openings (the critical distinction)
• Destroyed structures: Fences, sheds, detached structures blown apart by wind

Flood damage (requires separate flood insurance):

• Storm surge: Ocean water pushed inland by the hurricane
• Rising water: From overwhelmed rivers, tidal surge, and storm drains
• Intact entry: Water entering through doors, windows, or walls that were undamaged (no wind creating the opening)
• Ground saturation: Foundation issues from water rising from below

The gray area that causes disputes: When wind tears open your roof and rain pours through that opening, is the interior water damage "wind damage" or "flood damage"? The correct answer is wind damage—the water only entered because wind destroyed the roof. But many insurers classify all water damage as flood to exclude it from homeowners coverage. Your documentation must establish causation to protect your settlement.

How to Document Hurricane Damage

Documentation is your strongest tool in securing a fair hurricane settlement. Here's what we do for every coastal client:

Before hurricane season (June 1 - November 30):

• Complete property inventory: Photo and video documentation of your entire property in undamaged state
• Know your policies: Review both homeowners and flood insurance, understand your hurricane deductible
• Cloud storage: Store all documentation where it's accessible after evacuation
• Improvement records: Maintain receipts for major repairs and improvements

When a hurricane threatens:

• Fresh documentation: New photos/video the day before evacuation showing pre-storm condition
• Preparation evidence: Document boarding windows, securing items, protective measures taken
• Receipt retention: Save all evacuation, preparation, and emergency expense receipts

After the storm:

• Safety first: Wait for official all-clear before returning
• Extensive documentation: 100+ photos from every angle before any cleanup beyond emergency protection
• Sequence evidence: Document damage progression—wind damage before water intrusion proves causation
• Preserve evidence: Don't discard damaged items until documented and adjuster inspects
• Detailed log: Record dates, times, conversations, actions—this becomes critical evidence

We've learned through 35 years of coastal hurricane claims that proper documentation can increase settlements by 40-60% compared to inadequate documentation. In 2024, a Savannah homeowner who followed our documentation guidance recovered $73,000 more than their initial offer.

What Hurricane Insurance Should Cover

Understanding your policy's actual coverage prevents surprises and helps you push back when insurers lowball estimates. Comprehensive hurricane damage settlements typically include:

• Complete roof replacement: Including decking, underlayment, and proper coastal fastening systems meeting current hurricane codes
• Structural repairs: Walls, floors, framing damaged by wind or water that entered through wind-created openings
• Interior restoration: Drywall, flooring, cabinetry, built-in fixtures destroyed by hurricane damage
• System replacement: HVAC, electrical, plumbing when compromised by water exposure or salt spray—saltwater requires replacement, not repair
• Mold remediation: Following proper protocols with air quality testing, containment, removal, treatment, and verification—not bare-minimum surface cleaning
• Contents losses: Furniture, electronics, clothing, appliances destroyed by wind and water—verify whether you have replacement cost or depreciated actual cash value coverage
• Additional Living Expenses (ALE): Extended displacement is common after hurricanes—coverage continues until repairs are complete, which can be 6-12 months given contractor shortages
• Code upgrade costs: Coastal building codes often require upgraded hurricane-resistant materials and fastening systems—ordinance or law coverage pays these increased costs
• Debris removal: Trees, destroyed structures, widespread debris—actual costs often exceed standard policy limits
• Emergency repairs: Tarping, board-up, water extraction, securing property—done immediately to prevent further damage, these mitigation costs are reimbursable

A 2023 Brunswick family recovered $94,000 for comprehensive hurricane damage that their initial estimate valued at only $52,000. Thorough documentation and proper attribution made the difference.

Preparing for Hurricane Season

The best time to prepare for a hurricane claim is before the storm forms. Here's what coastal property owners should do now:

Review your insurance coverage:

• Verify both policies: Confirm you have homeowners AND flood insurance—standard homeowners policies don't cover storm surge or rising water
• Calculate your deductible: Many coastal policies have percentage-based deductibles (2%, 5%, even 10% of dwelling value) instead of flat amounts—know what you'll pay out of pocket
• Confirm dwelling coverage: Construction costs have increased significantly—underinsurance means you pay the gap between coverage limits and actual rebuild costs
• Understand wind coverage: Some coastal policies exclude or limit wind damage—know your coverage before you need it

Document your property:

• Complete visual inventory: Photo/video every room, every angle, inside and outside
• Home inventory: Purchase dates, values, and receipts for major items
• Cloud storage: Keep everything accessible after evacuation

Know your evacuation plan:

• Check your zone: Visit your county emergency management website to verify storm surge zone
• Register for alerts: Sign up for emergency notifications from your local emergency management
• Plan routes and destinations: Before storm season begins, not when a hurricane threatens

Prepare your property:

• Hurricane protection: Install shutters or cut plywood panels sized to your windows before storms threaten
• Tree maintenance: Trim trees and remove dead branches that could become wind-borne debris
• Secure outdoor items: Furniture, grills, decorations become projectiles in hurricane winds
• Important documents: Keep insurance policies, IDs, deeds in waterproof containers or scan to cloud storage

City-Specific Hurricane Damage Resources

Hurricane risks and response resources vary by location. We've created detailed guides for 15 cities across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, including local emergency management contacts, restoration companies, and region-specific claim strategies:

How ICC Helps You Recover

As your public adjuster, we handle every aspect of your hurricane damage claim:

• Free initial consultation to review your policy and damage
• Comprehensive damage assessment with professional documentation capturing both wind and water damage
• Detailed claim preparation with accurate coastal repair estimates meeting current building codes
• Wind vs. flood damage attribution to maximize coverage from appropriate policies
• Direct negotiation with your insurance company on your behalf—we handle all communications
• Maximum settlement recovery for structure, contents, living expenses, and code upgrades
• Contractor coordination to ensure quality hurricane repairs by qualified coastal contractors

We work on a contingency basis—we only get paid when you do. No upfront costs, no risk to you.

For over three decades, Insurance Claims Consultants has stood beside coastal property owners when hurricanes devastate our communities. We've navigated the insurance complexities of every major storm to impact the Southeast, from Hugo through Helene and beyond.

We understand the exhaustion that follows a hurricane—the shock of returning to a damaged home, the overwhelm of insurance paperwork, the frustration of lowball offers when you need help most. Our public adjusters handle the entire claims process so you can focus on your family and recovery.

Ready to get started? Call us at (864) 497-2151 or click the ICC logo to start a conversation. We're standing by to help you recover what you deserve.