Question

Is water damage from a hurricane covered by my homeowners policy in Hollywood?

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Hurricane wind and rain damage falls under your homeowner policy's hurricane deductible, not a flood exclusion. Storm surge, the seawater a hurricane pushes onshore, is excluded from that same policy and only covered under a separate flood policy. Hollywood homeowners near the coast often need both, since one storm can cause both kinds of damage at once.

Wind Rain vs Storm Surge Coverage

A standard Hollywood homeowners policy covers wind-driven rain that enters through a hurricane-created opening, like a roof torn open near Hollywood Hills or a window blown out in Emerald Hills. It does not cover rising water that comes up from outside, which is a separate risk category entirely.

Storm surge and tidal flooding, the kind that has pushed water into streets near the Intracoastal Waterway and Port Everglades during past storms, falls under flood insurance, not the wind portion of a homeowners policy. Adjusters look at how the water entered, not just that it entered.

Why Flood Insurance Is Separate

Flood insurance in Florida is written as its own policy, usually through the National Flood Insurance Program, because homeowners and hurricane policies exclude ground-up water. A home in Hollywood Lakes or along Johnson Street can carry full wind coverage and still have no flood protection at all.

This split matters most after a hurricane pushes surge inland from areas like Hollywood Beach toward Downtown Hollywood. Wind claims and flood claims are adjusted under different rules, sometimes by different companies, even when one storm caused both kinds of damage to the same house.

The Hurricane Deductible Applies Too

Wind and rain during a hurricane are ordinary perils under a homeowner policy, subject to the policy's hurricane deductible rather than a flood exclusion. Storm surge is different: it is rising seawater pushed ashore, and standard policies exclude it. Coverage for surge in Hollywood requires a separate flood policy, since wind damage and surge damage are adjusted under entirely different coverages even from the same storm.

A homeowner near Boulevard Heights or Driftwood filing after a hurricane should expect the hurricane deductible on the wind claim and, if they carry one, a separate deductible on any flood policy. The two amounts are not combined into a single number.

How long does water damage restoration take in Hollywood?

Extraction typically finishes within a day, drying runs three to seven days depending on how far water traveled, and reconstruction adds days to a few weeks based on how many rooms and materials were affected.

Will insurance cover my water damage in Hollywood?

Florida homeowners policies generally cover sudden, accidental water damage, like a pipe that bursts without warning, but exclude gradual leaks, seepage, and flood. In Hollywood, a slow air handler drain line or a rusted drain pan often falls on the wrong side of that line, since insurers treat gradual and sudden causes very differently.

What should I do in the first 24 hours after water damage in Hollywood?

Shut off the water source, cut power to affected rooms if it's safe to reach the panel, and photograph every soaked area before moving anything. Pull furniture and rugs off wet flooring, prop doors open for airflow, and call your insurer the same day you find the damage in your Hollywood home.

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