Filipinos know the routine when a typhoon’s coming. We stock up on essentials, charge our phones and power banks, secure our homes, move what we can out of harm’s way, and keep an eye on weather updates.
We’ve learned how to prepare for the storm. What we don’t talk about as much is how to prepare for what comes after it.
When a home or business is damaged, that’s often when questions about insurance suddenly become urgent: What exactly am I covered for? What do I need to make a claim? Who do I call?
The aftermath of a typhoon isn’t the best time to start looking for those answers. What years of handling claims have taught us
At Malayan Insurance, years of helping customers recover after typhoons have shown us that some of the difficulties that come up during a claim actually begin before the claim is ever filed.
One of the most common mistakes we see happens in the rush to clean up.
Before throwing damaged items away, take photos and videos of what happened. Even something as simple as the water mark left on a wall can help show how high floodwaters reached. Damaged furniture, appliances and other belongings also shouldn’t be disposed of immediately, as they may still need to be inspected.
At the same time, where it’s safe to do so, take reasonable steps to keep the damage from getting worse. That could mean elevating movable items, covering exposed areas with a tarp, or moving equipment away from moisture.
Being insured isn’t the same as understanding your insurance
There’s also a gap between what people think their insurance covers and what their policy actually provides.
One common misconception is that the full sum insured stated in a policy is automatically what a policyholder will receive after a loss. It isn’t. The actual settlement will depend on the loss and the terms of the policy, including applicable deductibles, depreciation and, in cases of underinsurance, the average clause.
It’s also easy to assume that everything inside an insured property is automatically covered. Cash, jewelry, gadgets and artworks, for example, may have specific conditions or may need to be separately declared or covered.
Knowing that a property is insured isn’t quite the same as knowing how it’s insured.
The records you keep before a loss matter too
Proof of ownership, old photos of your property, an inventory of its contents, purchase records and even records of renovation work can all become useful when you need to establish what was there and what was damaged.
These aren’t things most people think about when everything’s fine. That’s exactly why it’s worth keeping them before you need them.
We’ve also seen that claims tend to move more smoothly when policyholders stay in close communication with the claims team and adjuster, provide requested documents promptly, and preserve damaged property and contents for verification.
The common thread is preparation.
Before the next typhoon, property owners should know the basics: What am I covered against? What are my limits? What isn’t covered? Where are my policy documents? And who do I call if something happens?
You don’t need to become an insurance expert. But you should understand your protection before you need to use it.
The time to understand your insurance is when your property’s still intact, not when you’re already trying to recover from a loss.
By: Ryan Hayudini