Hurricane Milton claims surpass $2 billion, doubling losses from Hurricane Helene

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — New numbers from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation are shedding light on the number of claims filed due to Hurricane Milton.

As of Wednesday, more than $2 billion in insured losses have been reported to the Office of Insurance Regulation from Hurricane Milton. That’s about $1 billion more than the total amount of insured losses reported so far from Hurricane Helene.

According to the state Office of Insurance Regulation there have been a little more than 230,314 claims filed from Hurricane Milton, so far and most of the claims filed are residential property claims.

The Office of Insurance Regulation estimates about 12.8 percent of the claims are closed, but the number of claims could still rise.

Mark Jenkins a spokesperson for AAA tells CBS12 News families have up to one year to file a claim if they suffered damages because of a named storm.

“Obviously, the sooner you file that claim, then the faster it is that you can get the funding to begin the rebuilding,” Jenkins said.

See also:Wellington collects over 16,000 cubic yards of Hurricane Milton debris in one week

According to insurance experts, one of the most common questions they are getting is whether or not their insurance covers temporary housing if their home was destroyed or deemed unlivable due to the damage.

Mark Friedlander, the Florida spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute, sent us this statement:

“Additional Living Expenses or Loss of Use coverage is typically included in a standard home, condo or renters insurance policy. It covers your temporary living expenses if you are displaced from your home due to a covered hazard like a hurricane or tornado. National Flood Insurance Program policies do not include this coverage. However, some private flood policies may include this.”

This is certainly coverage you should ask your insurance agent to explain to you.

As a reminder, now is a great time to review your policy, considering we still have a few weeks left of hurricane season, which ends on November 30th.

Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. Sign up for our newsletter to get the day’s top headlines delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the biggest stories and can’t miss video.