Preparing for Hurricane Season
Louisiana REALTORS • June 3, 2021
Louisiana REALTORS® has partnered with the FEMA outreach and DOTD education teams to provide REALTORS® with helpful information regarding flood insurance, disaster preparation and recovery through our monthly
Flood Risk & Recovery Series. In June, FEMA and DOTD were joined by representatives from GOHSEP, the Louisiana Department of Insurance, Louisiana Watershed Initiative, Fannie Mae and the Professional Insurance Agents of Louisiana to discuss what to do before, during and after a hurricane to be fully prepared. Please see below for a few highlights, resources and FAQs that were addressed in the session. This is great information to share with your clients as the hurricane season approaches.
Before A Storm:
Insurance Tips/Tricks:
- If you have a home insurance policy, make sure you find and understand what you are covered for. If you have a paper file, save a backup on a flash drive so that it will be accessible no matter what. Look at the declarations page of your policy for:
- Exclusions, specifically wind/hail - if you have this, you'll want to call your insurance agent to adjust
- Deductibles, specifically the hurricane or named storm, wind/hail and flood deductibles to see what you will have to pay out of pocket for and if they need to be adjusted
- Actual cash value vs. replacement cost - it's often recommended to go with "replacement cost," as it allows for you to be covered for the full replacement cost of your items as opposed to their depreciated values
- There is a
difference between standard insurance and flood insurance. FEMA will only offer assistance for presidentially-declared disasters, but flood insurance can be paid out any time a flood occurs. It's usually also a much larger payout from your flood insurance policy than from FEMA assistance.
- If you do not have flood insurance, get it, especially if you are in a high-risk area. It takes 30 days for flood insurance to take effect, so don't wait.
- If cost is what's holding you back from getting insurance, get what you can afford. Some coverage is better than none.
- If you are a renter, get content only flood insurance - your property's owner probably has the building insured, but contents only insurance will help you cover the cost of replacing any damage to your possessions that was caused by flooding.
Preparing Your Property:
- Mitigate as best you can. If your home is below the base of elevation or if you have previously filed for assistance, you may be eligible to apply for a grant to help prevent damage.
- Repair, remove and secure anything in your yard that could potentially become airborne.
During A Storm:
- Stay calm and be safe.
- Stick to your pre-determined plan.
- Protect yourself and then help others.
After A Storm:
- Assess your property and contact your insurance agent right away if you have any damage.
- Be sure to take photos of everything - do not throw anything away.
- Once documented, secure what you can on your property.
- Once you have filed your claim, document all points-of-contact and conversations you have with representatives, appraisers, etc.
- If preparing to apply for any sort of grant or financial aid, be sure you have:
- A copy of your declarations page from your policy
- A copy of all of your policies in chronology of coverage
- Statement of Loss from insurance carrier
- Check stub from final insurance payout
- Proof of property ownership (title, owner of record, etc.)
- Supplemental occupancy proof (utilities, driver's license, etc.)
- Note that you can only receive financial assistance from one agency - your status will be checked before any sum is granted.
Resources:
- GetAGameplan.org - Updated after every disaster, this resource from GOHSEP provides a wealth of helpful information like preparedness guides, evacuation routes and more.
- Disaster Response Network - Fannie Mae offers this excellent resource to connect homeowners and renters who have experienced a disaster with HUD-trained counselors to give advice on things like FEMA aid, insurance claims, SBA claims, etc. for up to 18 months. Call (877) 833-1746 for assistance.
- KnowYourOptions.com - This Fannie Mae hub explains everything you need to know about the insurance claims process in easy-to-understand terms.
- NAIC Home Inventory App - This resource from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners will help you take and record an inventory of your belongings so that you can submit an accurate insurance claim.
FAQs:
2025 Regular Legislative Session Wrap-up
The National Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors approved a 2026 budget with no dues increase and passed a Professional Standards Recommendation to clarify language in NAR Code of Ethics Standard of Practice 10-5, which prohibits harassment of any person or persons protected under Article 10 of the Code. A day earlier, the Executive Committee approved another Professional Standards change, revising language for Policy Statement 29 designed to ensure state and local associations can fairly and consistently enforce the Code of Ethics. Learn more about the changes. Read the revised Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. Board members also approved a consent agenda to elect the 2026 officers and regional vice presidents . Christine Hansen of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., was elected 2026 President-Elect, and Colin Mullane of Ashland, Ore. was elected 2026 First Vice President. The meeting opened with a video message from President Donald Trump, who welcomed REALTORS® to Washington and thanked them for support of the House-passed tax reform. NAR routinely invites the U.S. president to address REALTORS® at the Washington meetings. Over NAR's history, nine sitting presidents have addressed the association. Board Actions Approved a series of Finance Committee recommendations, accepting the association’s financial statement, approving the 2026 operating and advocacy budgets, and keeping dues at $156. The board actions also redirect $35 of the $45 Consumer Advertising Campaign assessment to operating funds. This change positions NAR to make its next settlement payment in February 2026 and maintain a balanced budget without raising total dues. The remaining $10 for the Consumer Advertising Campaign will fund optimized, metrics-driven activities that reach and engage consumers in critical markets. NAR CEO Nykia Wright and President Kevin Sears explained the shift at the opening session of the conference . Amended Standard of Practice 10-5 to give state and local associations greater clarity in how to fairly and consistently enforce Article 10 of the Code of Ethics. The amended Standard of Practice says that REALTORS®, in their capacity as real estate professionals, in association with their real estate businesses, or in their real estate-related activities, shall not harass any person or persons based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Made a series of recommendations to the Standards of Practice to bring the language in line with the terms of NAR’s 2024 settlement. Approved a motion to make one member of the Executive Committee a commercial practitioner who has served as chair, vice chair or liaison of an NAR commercial-related committee or forum to serve a two-year term and be independent of the 10% commercial representation requirement outlined in the NAR Constitution. Approved a recommendation from the Credentials and Campaign Rules Committee to amend qualifications for president-elect, first vice president and treasurer effective Jan. 1, 2026. Qualifications for top-line officers are now aligned with those already in place for regional vice presidents. Approved recommendations from the Member Accountability Committee related to applications for volunteer leadership and the Statement of Appropriate Event Conduct. The goal of the recommendations is to ensure members found in violation of the NAR Member Code of Conduct are properly disclosed. Award Winners NAR President Kevin Sears announced the 2025 Distinguished Service Award winners James P. Cormier , AHWD, C2EX, of Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Brooke S. Hunt , AHWD, E-PRO, SFR, SRS, C2EX , of Flower Mound, Texas. In addition, the group recognized the winner of the 2024 William R. Magel Award, Anne Marie DeCatsye , CEO of the Canopy REALTOR® Association and Canopy MLS in the Charlotte, N.C., metro area. REALTORS® Relief Foundation During the meeting, REALTORS® Relief Foundation President Greg Hrabcak appealed to board members to make a tax-deductible donation. The fund provides housing assistance to victims in the immediate aftermath of a disaster; 100% of funds donated go to disaster relief. “We’ve had devastating wildfires in California, tornadoes in Missouri and Kentucky and flooding in West Virginia, and we’re still in the first half of this year,” Hrabcak said. Before the meeting ended, directors had donated more than $41,000.
Whether you’re working in Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette, or anywhere in between, here’s how you can use Homeownership Month to elevate your real estate marketing and better serve your community.
