It’s been an exhausting couple of weeks in New Orleans, for sure, and we didn’t get the damage that our neighbors south of us received. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some post hurricane tips that newer residents, and maybe even a native, might need to know about.

Make that claim

One of the best pieces of information we got after the storm came from Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon. Did you know that your named storm deductible applies to the entire hurricane season? We didn’t! Even if you received only minor damages that won’t exceed your deductible, it’s important to make that claim. We’re only halfway through the season. If by some bad luck we end up with another storm causing damage, you’ll be ahead of the deductible game.

Afraid your rates will go up with a claim? Nope. The commissioner said that insurers have to apply to the state for across-the-board rates increases.

Review your insurance coverage

There have definitely been some surprises at how high that named storm deductible works out to be. Now is the time to review your policy with your agent and make any tweaks that can help you avoid sticker shock next year.

Restock your hurricane supplies

If you stayed for those brutal days of no air conditioning, cell service, or internet, you probably have a list of things you wish you had considered adding to your supplies. I don’t think anyone had enough water or ice and 3 days of food wasn’t nearly enough when stores took longer than that to reopen (not through any fault of theirs!). Did you need a second propane tank for the grill? A solar charger? More gas cans for a generator? A stockpile of batteries for flashlights?

Super tip: This is the lantern that we were most happy to have in our house

Hire reputable contractors

We all know that after a storm is a prime time for predators out to bilk people out of money. Taking money without doing any work or doing shoddy work is their way of life.

Find someone local, reputable, licensed, and insured. Get quotes for all jobs in writing, too. We’ve already seen a couple of folks get scammed by tree companies that didn’t provide a quote and then presented bills of over $100,000 for tree cutting and removal. There’s certainly some bad juju waiting for those people.

Ask your friends, your neighbors, or your agent for their recommendations of contractors they have had good experiences with.

Hurricane recovery is never fun, but we’ve watched the majority of the people in our city get right to work, taking care of each other, feeding their neighborhoods, and being fantastic citizens. Just another reason we are proud to call New Orleans home.