Category Four Hurricanes

Category Four Hurricane Damage Claim

A Category Four hurricane damage claim is serious: catastrophic damage has occurred. Most of your roof may have been torn off and your home’s exterior walls may have been lost, too.

Describing a hurricane of this magnitude is challenging because it destroys lives, businesses and entire communities.

We’ve helped 500+ policyholders recover over $25 million in damage, and in many cases, these families cannot even return to the areas they called home because they are uninhabitable. Hurricane Ida was the most recent category 4 storm in Louisiana, and it led to:

Catastrophic transmission damage, causing over 1 million utility customers to lose power
One parish having 240,000 people suffering water outages
Around $75 billion in damages

If your home, property or personal assets are damaged in a hurricane, insurance companies may drag their feet.

We help set things right. At Gulf Coast Insurance Attorneys, we understand the trauma you’re experiencing. We’ll take care of your damage claim, negotiate with insurance companies and hold insurers to their contractual obligations. Contact us for a free consultation and to discuss your claim.

What Classifies as a Category Four Hurricane?

Category Four hurricanes are severe. You’ll experience wind speeds between 130 – 156 MPH. If you have an older home that isn’t well-built, you can be certain of a total loss or significant damage.

Well-built homes will still lose most of the roof and some – if not all – exterior walls.

When classifying hurricanes, the average wind speed is what’s sustained for a minute or longer. Gusts of winds can be 30% higher, meaning the wind can reach over 200 MPH for brief periods of time.

What Category Four Hurricanes Have Hit Louisiana?

The last time a Category Four hurricane damage claim occurred in Louisiana, it was in 2021 when Hurricane Ida hit. Port Fourchon was hit with 150 MPH winds and surges of 16 feet. The hurricane hit on the anniversary of Katrina, the costliest hurricane in history.

While many hurricanes hit Louisiana, there were six category 4 hurricanes and two of them occurred since 2020:

August 10 – 12, 1856 Last Island hurricane hit with winds of 150 MPH and 200+ died.
September 7 – 8, 1900 Hurricane Galveston reached 145 MPH winds and hit the southern portion of the state.
June 27, 1957 Hurricane Audrey hit with 145 MPH winds and left 526 dead.
September 11, 1961 Hurricane Carla hit with 145 MPH winds and killed 39 people.
August 27, 2020 Hurricane Laura hit Cameron Parish with winds of 150 MPH.
August 29, 2021 Hurricane Ida made landfall and killed 33 people.

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What Property Damage Often Happens After a Category Four Hurricane?

Category 4 hurricanes can lead to total loss, meaning your home and all of its contents are lost. The damage of 150+ MPH winds will leave damage behind, including:

Significant portions of a roof sustaining damage
Fences being destroyed completely
Personal property damage
Uprooted trees
Automobile and boat damage
Siding damage
Window damage

If a window, roof or wall sustains damage, internal flooding can occur, causing significant damage to your flooring and personal property.

Roof damage will allow rainwater to enter the structure, and if not remedied, mold may begin to form. Flood policies are written in such a way that they do not cover mold damage, but your homeowner’s insurance might.

How Should You Handle Property Damage Following a Category Four Hurricane?

If your home was hit by a Category Four hurricane, it will likely have suffered extensive damage. The roof may need to be repaired or replaced, windows may be damaged, and the threat of mold and water damage is high.

Temporary repairs may be needed to prevent further damage, such as placing tarps over the roof or boarding up window openings.

Following the storm:

Make sure that you document the damage to your property. If it is safe to do so, take photos and videos of the damage.
Contact your insurance company to start the process of filing a Category Four hurricane damage claim.
Make any temporary repairs needed to protect what’s left of your home.
It may be best not to clean up or throw out damaged items. The adjuster may need to inspect them first.

Comprehensive and permanent repairs should wait until after the adjuster’s assessment. If your home is uninhabitable, you’ll need to secure safe lodging. Depending on your coverage, your policy may help cover the cost of hotel stays, restaurant meals, laundry and other expenses that you may incur until your home becomes habitable.

Review your policy details to find out whether you have this coverage and if so, the limits.

Category Four hurricanes cause serious damage, and filing a claim with your insurance company can be a complex process when significant repairs are needed.

Consider contacting a lawyer with experience helping homeowners with their hurricane claims. We can help you navigate the process and fight in your corner to get your claim paid in full.

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With our contingency fee structure, you face zero financial risk—no upfront costs and no fees unless we successfully secure compensation on your behalf. We’re fully committed to achieving results, and you only pay if we do.

How Can an Attorney Help You with Your Insurance Claim Following a Category Four Hurricane?

In most cases, Category Four hurricane property damage is significant. Homes are lost or nearly destroyed. Repairs are often extensive.

Insurance companies will try to delay claims or outright deny them. They may offer lowball settlements that make it challenging for homeowners to repair or rebuild their homes.

An experienced hurricane claim lawyer can help you fight back against your insurance company if they are delaying your claim or have denied it.

At Gulf Coast Insurance Attorneys, we bring in leading estimators and court experts to write effective damage reports that will help you get paid full value. You, as a client, pay nothing for these reports because if you recover nothing, you pay nothing.

These reports give us the leverage we need to negotiate with insurance companies. We fight aggressively to get your claim paid and in a timely manner.

We can also help you understand:

Your rights
Your insurance policy
The next steps in the process

We’ll deal with the adjuster and insurance company, so you can focus on getting your life back on track.

How Gulf Coast Insurance Attorneys Can Help with Your Hurricane Claim

A Category Four hurricane causes catastrophic damage. Homes and property suffer significant damage or total loss.

If your home is among those severely damaged or destroyed, don’t risk having your claim denied or being underpaid. Gulf Coast Insurance Attorneys can help with your Category Four hurricane damage claim.

Since 2005, we have been helping homeowners fight for their homes, their families and their futures. Because we focus primarily on insurance claims, we maintain working relationships with defense attorneys for insurers, allowing us to expedite the settlement process. Contact our firm today to schedule a free consultation.

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