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Hurricane claims, according to Kiplinger’s, are among the costliest types of natural disasters; eight out of ten of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history have been hurricanes, with Hurricane Ian costing almost $113 billion dollars—the third-most-costly hurricane in history. Hurricanes not only cause wind damage (which is usually covered by your insurance company) but also cause flood damage, which may not be covered by your policy.

Homeowner claims are the same thing as first-party insurance claims. You may make a homeowner claim following a natural disaster such as a hurricane, fire, tornado, flood, windstorm, hailstorm, snow damage, or as a result of having your property damaged.

Tornado claims will cover the damage to your home resulting from the high winds of a tornado. A tornado can reach 300 miles per hour. Before a tornado hits, the wind can die down, causing the air to become almost eerily still. Tornadoes usually occur near the edge of a thunderstorm, and you may see sunlit skies behind the tornado. According to Storm Aware, a tornado can stay on the ground for over 50 miles, beginning as nearly transparent, then picking up dust and debris, forming a cloud within the funnel. A tornado can move forward at 30 miles per hour, up to about 70 miles per hour. While tornadoes can move in any direction, they most often move Southwest to Northeast. The southern plains of the central U.S. have been dubbed “Tornado Alley” because of the frequency of tornadoes occurring in late spring and early fall in the region.

Fire claims are among the most common type of homeowner’s insurance claims. Fires can begin inside the home or can be the result of a wildfire. Most insurance policies cover fire damage unless it was the result of arson. According to thezebra.com, cooking, heating equipment (fireplaces, gas or electric heaters, or wood stoves) and electrical malfunctions are the primary cause of home fires. Astonishingly, 96 percent of all homes in the United States have had some form of fire or smoke-related damage. Of the more than 358,000 home fires that occur each year, 50 percent of these begin in the kitchen, 7 percent in a bedroom (usually resulting from a cigarette or faulty heater), 6 percent are chimney fires, and 3 percent start in the laundry room.

Bad faith claims occur when an insurance company refuses to honor its commitment to a policyholder. Bad-faith tactics may include the following. The insurance company had no reasonable basis for denying, delaying, or undervaluing your claim. Processing your claim was unreasonably delayed by your insurance company. The agent that sold you the homeowner’s policy misrepresented the terms of the contract. Even though you were clearly covered under your policy, your insurance company refused to defend you. Your claim was not fully investigated by your insurance company. You were not notified by your insurance company to notify you that your claim was missing required information. Your insurance company refused to communicate with you. You were pressured by your insurance company to accept a low offer for your legitimate claim. The insurance company made unreasonable demands as a result of your homeowner’s insurance claim--demands that were not actually related to the claim, but rather were a tactic to make you give up.

First-party insurance claims are those that are between the policyholder and the insurance company. You, as the policyholder, are considered the “first party,” while your insurance company is considered the “second party.” When you make a homeowner’s claim for damages against your insurance company, you are making a first-party insurance claim. You should be compensated according to what is stated in your insurance policy, barring any stated exceptions.

Other Types of Claims can include wind damage, hailstorm damage, flood damage, and damage resulting from fallen trees. While flooding usually requires an additional flood damage policy, hailstorms and wind damage should be covered under a standard policy.