Texas Tornado & Hurricane Damage Lawyer

‍Storm Damage Cases We Represent

The team at the Omar Ochoa Law Firm represents clients in all manner of insurance claims involving hurricanes and tornadoes. If you have experienced storm damage and need maximum compensation, our attorneys can help you handle difficult insurance companies.

Tornado Damage Claims

Tornadoes are among the most violent and destructive forces of nature. They can appear seemingly out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly. What they leave in their wake is nothing but chaos, destruction, and pain.

Fortunately, tornado damage is typically covered in most homeowners' insurance policies under wind damage. Hence, it is not necessary for policyholders to purchase separate insurance for tornadoes.

And if you have been paying your premiums, you should expect your insurance company to issue an insurance payout without any unreasonable delay.

Sadly, insurance companies delay and deny valid insurance coverage claims regularly. But with our Houston tornado damage attorneys representing you, you never have to worry about unreasonable insurance companies. We handle them for you.

Hurricane Damage Claims

For those living near the Gulf of Mexico, hurricanes are a fact of life. When one hits, property owners expect to have their losses covered by their insurance company. Yet, many policyholders may not understand that the flooding that accompanies hurricanes is typically not covered by their policies. Instead, flooding that is the result of a hurricane is typically dealt with in a separate stand-alone flood insurance policy.

Texas Tornado Statistics

Texas tornado statistics are sobering. According to the various weather tracking agencies, the Lone Star State has one of the highest incidences of tornado occurrence and tornado death in the entire United States.

The specifics of these statistics hold that Texas:

• Is 2nd only to Mississippi in tornado frequency. In 2022, 160 tornadoes struck Texas, and 184 hit Mississippi.
• Ranks third in tornado deaths, with three fatalities occurring in 2022. Iowa ranks number one with seven fatalities.
• Suffers nearly $5 billion in tornado-caused property damage every year

Regarding tornado density, Texas ranks 11th and averages about 5.7 tornadoes per 10,000 square miles.

Understanding Tornado Damage Claims in Texas

Generally speaking, tornado damage falls under acts of God in a homeowners insurance claim. Depending on the policy, an act of God may or may not be covered. To determine whether your policy covers tornadoes as acts of God, you should carefully read your policy or consult with your insurance agent.

If tornadoes as acts of God are covered by your insurance policy, you should expect to receive prompt and complete compensation. However, insurance companies often fight vigorously to pay as little as possible or nothing at all. Because of this reluctance to pay, homeowners with valid claims face significant obstacles to getting the funds they need to repair and rebuild.

What often complicates matters is extensive property damage. Multiple claimants each seeking compensation for extensive damage are an insurance company's nightmare. Claimants needing high levels of compensation can have a dreadful impact on an insurance company's bottom line. So insurance companies are more prone to engage in bad faith dealings, such as:

• Underpaying claims
• Unreasonably denying claims
• Failing to investigate claims
• Making unreasonable requests and demands of policyholders

Having an experienced insurance lawyer on your side is an effective way to deal with bad-acting insurance companies.

Common Tornado Losses

When a tornado hits, it can leave severe damage or even utter destruction in its wake. But tornadoes do not always cause complete devastation. Often, the property damage they cause is similar to that caused by strong storms.

Some of the more common forms of significant damage caused by these natural disasters include:

• Frame Damage: Broken, twisted, or flattened beams, trusses, and other parts of a house's frame
• Foundation Damage: Cracking, separating, and shifting of a house's foundation
• Roof Damage: Broken and missing shingles, dents and chips, damaged or missing roof decking, and detached gables
• Damage to Walls and Floors: Cracking or broken interior and exterior walls; bowed, cracked, or scratched floors, and floors with water damage
• Exterior Damage: Destroyed or damaged accessory buildings, fences, driveways, and landscaping
• Damage to Windows and Gutters: Broken or cracked window panes and window frames, damaged or missing window screens; gutters that become dented, torn, or missing

Tornadoes also wreak havoc on the various utility systems present on a property, such as electrical systems, water delivery systems, plumbing systems, gas tanks, and natural gas lines.

What Does the Hurricane Damage Claim Process Look Like?

Claimants who have suffered hurricane damage must follow certain steps when seeking to claim policy payouts. They include:

Step 1: Set Up a Consultation

Set up a free consultation with one of our experienced hurricane claim attorneys so we can review your case and take appropriate action.

Step 2: Gather Evidence

Once we sign you up as a client, our team will immediately set out to gather the evidence we need to represent you, such as policy information, photos of the damage, and witness and expert testimony. We may also consult with weather experts to learn more about the hurricane's destructive forces and patterns.

Step 3: Negotiate with the Insurance Company

Once we have amassed the proper evidence, we will meet with your insurance provider to negotiate a payout that reflects your policy coverage and the damage you have suffered. At no time do we entertain offers below what our clients deserve.

Step 4: File the Lawsuit

If your insurance company denies your claim or offers only a portion of what you deserve, our team will file a lawsuit to compel your provider to pay what they owe.

Step 5: Conduct Depositions and Testimony

Our attorneys will begin depositions to collect valuable evidence to be used at trial or during mediation. We will also consult with expert witnesses when necessary.

Step 6: Move to Settle or Trial

After depositions and further investigations, the insurance company may be more open to settling than risking a verdict at trial. But this does not always happen. Some hurricane and tornado insurance cases must go to trial to find a resolution. In this case, rely on our team to fight vigorously for your policy payout.

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