Florida homeowners are no strangers to hurricanes, but recent storms are bringing new and growing risks. Hurricanes Milton, Helene, Debby, and Idalia have ushered in a troubling new trend: widespread, destructive flooding. Unlike in past years, floods are reaching deeper inland, hitting communities that never expected to see serious water damage in their homes. This signals a growing pattern that every homeowner needs to take seriously.
Flooding Is Now the Biggest Threat
It used to be all about wind damage. While still dangerous, now, the real danger is what you don’t always see coming: flood waters. Slower-moving storms are dumping more rain, and rising sea levels are intensifying storm surges. That means even homes far from the coast are at risk.
Just look at the numbers (Our Children’s Trust, 2025):
- From 2020 to 2024, Florida experienced 9 hurricanes causing $244.5 billion in damage.
- In the first five years of the 2020s vs. 2001-2005, Florida had nearly double the number of landfalling hurricanes, 7x times the cost in damages.
- The average number of billion-dollar weather disasters has tripled compared to past decades. Hurricanes are larger and last longer, bringing more flooding than ever.
A Wake-Up Call
Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton flooded communities across the state, some for the first time. Many homeowners were stunned to learn their standard hurricane insurance didn’t cover flood damage. Without a separate flood insurance policy, they were left to handle repair costs on their own.
Most homeowners believe their hurricane or windstorm policy covers everything. Unfortunately, flood damage is almost always excluded, even when it is caused by a hurricane. Floods are caused by water entering a home or building from the ground, because of excessive rain from a pond, creek, river, bay, ocean, or estuary, or just due an influx of rain to an area with subpar drainage capabilities.
If your home takes on water, and you don’t have flood insurance, your policy likely won’t help you. That’s why we urge every Florida homeowner to review their coverage and strongly consider flood insurance, whether you’re in a designated flood zone or not. Recent storms prove the risk is everywhere.
What you can do now:
- Review your insurance policies now. Confirm whether your current coverage includes flood damage, as most standard homeowners’ policies do not.
- Secure your home. Install storm shutters, check your roof for loose shingles, clear gutters, and trim trees to minimize storm-related damage.
- Schedule a pre-season property inspection. Identifying your home’s current condition can help spot potential vulnerabilities and documenting the property via photos and videos can support future claims if needed.
- Know your rights. If your insurer denies, delays, or underpays a future claim, don’t let them have the last word. Experienced property claim attorneys can help you fight back.
ILG Is Here for You
At Insurance Litigation Group (ILG), we’ve seen firsthand how devastating storm damage can be. Our team of Florida property insurance attorneys and loss consultants helps homeowners across the state file, fight, and win hurricane insurance claims. We are a client-focused law firm that fights aggressively on your behalf to produce maximum recovery results from insurance companies through our unique expertise, deep understanding of insurance law, cutting edge technology and proactive approach to litigation.
If your home was impacted by Helene, Milton, or any recent hurricane, contact us for a free property inspection and policy review. Don’t wait until the next storm hits, prepare now! For assistance with your water damage insurance claim, call 888-454-4254.
