The hours immediately following a hurricane are among the most consequential your condo association will ever face. What your board does — and equally important, what it doesn’t do — in the first 24 hours after a storm passes can significantly affect the size and outcome of your insurance claim, your community’s safety, and your long-term recovery. For South Florida associations in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, where hurricane impacts are a real and recurring risk, having a clear post-storm action plan is not optional.
Here is the step-by-step guide I share with every association I work with.
Step 1: Wait for the All-Clear Before Sending Anyone Outside
This sounds obvious, but it’s violated regularly. Do not send anyone — board members, maintenance staff, or contractors — outside to assess damage until your local emergency management agency has officially declared it safe. Outer hurricane bands can bring sudden wind gusts well after the eye has passed, and downed power lines pose a life-threatening risk that isn’t always visible.
Monitor your county emergency management agency’s official communications — not social media — for the all-clear signal. In Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, this information is available through the county’s emergency management websites and official alert systems.
Step 2: Document Everything Before Any Cleanup
This is the single most important thing your association can do for your insurance claim: document the damage thoroughly before anything is moved, cleaned up, or repaired.
- Send a board member or property manager with a phone or camera to walk the entire property systematically
- Video every area of damage — roof, exterior walls, windows, common areas, mechanical rooms, parking, landscaping
- Take close-up photos of specific damage points as well as wide shots showing context
- Document any pre-storm photos you have for comparison
- Note the date and time stamps on all photos and video
Do not begin cleanup before documenting: Once debris is cleared or temporary repairs are made without documentation, proving the original extent of damage becomes significantly harder. Insurance adjusters need to see the condition of the property immediately after the loss.
Step 3: Notify Your Insurance Agent and Carrier Immediately
Call your insurance agent as soon as you have a safe opportunity to do so — ideally within hours of the storm passing, not days. Your policy almost certainly has a notification requirement, and early contact gives you and your agent maximum time to navigate the claims process properly.
When you call, have the following ready:
- Your policy number (from your declarations page)
- A brief description of the damage observed
- Your contact information and the best way to reach the board
- Whether the building is habitable or not
Your agent should then help you file the formal claim with the carrier and can advise you on next steps specific to your policy.
Step 4: Make Only Emergency Temporary Repairs
Your policy requires you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage after a loss — this is called the "duty to mitigate." This means making temporary emergency repairs is not only acceptable, it’s required. Common emergency temporary repairs include:
- Tarping a damaged roof to prevent water intrusion
- Boarding up broken windows or doors
- Pumping standing water from flood-affected areas
- Securing any structurally unsafe areas to prevent injury
Do not make permanent repairs before the adjuster visits: Temporary emergency work is appropriate and required. But beginning permanent repairs before an insurance adjuster has inspected the damage is a serious mistake that can complicate or reduce your claim. Keep all receipts for emergency work — these costs are typically reimbursable under your policy.
Step 5: Be Cautious With Post-Storm Contractors
After every major storm in South Florida, unlicensed contractors and aggressive solicitors descend on affected communities. Board members should be extremely cautious about:
- Assignment of Benefits (AOB) agreements — Signing an AOB transfers your insurance claim rights to a third party (usually a contractor). Florida has reformed AOB law, but boards should still be extremely cautious before signing anything.
- Unlicensed contractors — Always verify a contractor’s Florida license before authorizing any work beyond emergency tarping.
- Contracts with inflated estimates — Some contractors will prepare inflated damage estimates to maximize claim payouts. This can constitute insurance fraud.
Whenever possible, use contractors your association already has relationships with, or ask your insurance agent for recommendations of reputable firms experienced in storm restoration work.
Step 6: Communicate Clearly With Residents
Unit owners will be anxious and seeking information. Proactive, clear communication from the board helps prevent panic, manages expectations, and reduces the likelihood of unit owners taking unauthorized actions that could complicate the association’s claim.
- Send an initial communication as soon as you have any information to share, even if it’s simply that the board is assessing the situation
- Set realistic timelines for damage assessment and restoration
- Remind unit owners not to begin their own repairs in common areas
- Advise unit owners to document their own unit damage for their individual HO-6 claims
First 24 Hours Post-Hurricane Checklist
- Wait for official all-clear before anyone goes outside
- Conduct a full photographic and video documentation of all damage
- Call your insurance agent to report the loss
- File formal claim with your carrier
- Authorize only emergency temporary repairs — keep all receipts
- Do not sign any AOB agreements
- Verify licenses of any contractors before authorizing work
- Send communication to residents about the situation
- Document all board decisions and actions in writing
- Save copies of all correspondence with your insurer and contractors
The first 24 hours after a hurricane set the tone for your entire recovery. Boards that document thoroughly, notify their insurer promptly, and move carefully through the process almost always achieve better claim outcomes than those who don’t. If your association doesn’t yet have a post-storm action plan in writing, now — before hurricane season peaks — is the time to create one. Reach out and I’m happy to help.