Mississippi Insurance Dispute Lawyers Handling Tornado Damage Claims
Fighting for Mississippi property owners when tornadoes destroy their homes and businesses
Tornadoes are frightening. They rise up into funnel-shaped vortexes that destroy everything in their path, including homes and commercial buildings. While tornadoes are devastating, one way to prepare for them is to have the appropriate insurance coverage. The Southeast has more than its fair share of tornadoes each year; some are quite deadly and destructive. Our Mississippi tornado damage lawyers have the experience and resources to verify the full extent of your damages, the scope of the repair work that can be done, when you need to rebuild or replace your property, and obtain full compensation under the terms of your policy. At McWherter Scott & Bobbitt, we’ve helped insured policyholders obtain more than $100 million in recoveries.
How are tornadoes formed?
According to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Center for Science Education,
Tornadoes only form when a thunderstorm has a particular combination of winds…For a tornado to form, there also needs to be spinning air near the ground. This happens when air in the storm sinks to the ground and spreads out across it in gusts. Gusts of warmer air rise and gusts of cooler air sink as they blow across the land. If there are enough rising and sinking gusts, the air near the ground starts spinning…The rotating air moves horizontally across the ground and can be tilted vertically by the force of the rising, rotating air. This allows a tornado to form.
At the end of March 2023, at least 25 people died in Mississippi due to a tornado that ripped across the state. “The tornado lofted debris 30,000 feet high, said Samuel Emmerson, a member of the radar research group at the University of Oklahoma.”
How are tornadoes classified?
According to National Geographic, tornadoes are classified based on an “Enhanced Fujita Scale.” This scale uses the wreckage to determine the severity of the tornado.
- EF-0. Wind gusts are estimated to be between 65 and 85 miles per hour. “The environment sustained minor damage: tree branches are broken, some shallow-rooted trees are uprooted, and some chimneys are damaged.”
- EF-1. Wind gusts are estimated between 86 and 110 miles per hour. “The environment sustained moderate damage: mobile homes are tipped over, windows are broken, roof tiles may be blown off, and some tree trunks have snapped.”
- EF-2. Wind gusts are estimated between 111 and 135 miles per hour. “The environment sustained considerable damage: mobile homes are destroyed, roofs are damaged, debris flies in the air, and large trees are snapped or uprooted.”
- EF-3. Wind gusts are estimated between 136 and 165 miles per hour. “The environment sustained severe damage: roofs and walls are ripped off buildings, small buildings are destroyed, and most trees are uprooted.”
- EF-4. Wind gusts are estimated between 166 and 200 miles per hour. “The environment sustained devastating damage: well-built homes are destroyed, buildings are lifted off their foundations, cars are blown away, and large debris flies in the air.”
- EF-5. Winds of over 200 miles per hour are present. “The environment sustained incredible damage: well-built homes are lifted from their foundations, reinforced concrete buildings are damaged, the bark is stripped from trees, and car-sized debris flies through the air.”
What kinds of damage do Mississippi tornadoes cause?
Even mild tornadoes can quickly destroy homes, condominiums, apartment complexes, churches, commercial property, and other structures. Many homes and structures are total losses, meaning that the only real way to repair them is to rebuild them.
Property that can be repaired due to tornado damage often requires extensive repairs, including repairing:
- The building’s foundation
- Roofs, siding, shingles, and chimneys
- The walls, ceilings, and floors
- The windows, doors, screens, and shutters
- The plumbing, HVAC, electricity, and telecommunications
- The driveways, exterior, landscaping, garages, pools, and unattached structures
Basically, every part of the building may require repairs – inside and outside.
How do your Mississippi tornado insurance lawyers fight to ensure tornado damage claims are paid in full?
Our respected Mississippi tornado insurance claims lawyers help policyholders at every stage of the claims process, including:
- The immediate emergency requirements. We can:
- Explain what steps your insurance policy requires that you take to secure your property and protect it from further damage
- Help you report your storm claim to your insurance company
- Explain what photos, videos, and other documentation of the damage you should take and record
- If provided for in your policy, arrange for advances for temporary lodging, moving costs, and necessities. If you have a business, we’ll help you obtain temporary payments for relocation costs and costs to keep your business running if your policy allows it.
- Valuation.
- Property damage. Much of the dispute in tornado insurance claims revolves around identifying the damage, determining whether repairs are advisable or you need to rebuild, determining how the repairs or rebuild should be done (and the timeline for the repairs or reconstruction), and the cost for the repairs or rebuild. We fight to be certain that the insurance company is paying the proper amount depending on the circumstances of your loss.
- Business interruption damage. We work with you, experts and other business professionals to properly value all your financial losses until you can get your business running again.
- The claims process. We help prepare and document your claim. Our Mississippi tornado insurance claim lawyers anticipate the defenses and strategies insurance adjusters use to try to deny, reduce, or delay your claim. We hold insurance companies accountable if they bargain in bad faith.
- We’re skilled at negotiating insurance claims with insurance adjusters and trying your case before arbitration panels, mediators, and in court.
In one illustrative case, we obtained $800,000 for a couple after their insurance company denied their commercial insurance claim based on tornado damage.
Do you have a Mississippi tornado damage claim lawyer near me?
At McWherter Scott & Bobbitt, our Mississippi tornado damage lawyers meet policyholders at our offices located at 600 Main St., Suite 301 in Tupelo and 4780 I-55 N, Suite 100 in Jackson. We also conduct consultations by phone and video conferences. We understand how devastating tornadoes are. We’ll fight for all the compensation you deserve.
Get help now. Talk with our experienced Mississippi tornado insurance claim lawyers today.
We understand how anxious you are. Tornadoes cause extensive damage. You have a right to expect that your insurance carrier will promptly advance the costs for your temporary lodging, fairly evaluate the extent of the damage, and honestly determine whether repairs are possible for you or whether you should rebuild your property (or buy a new place) and pay the damages you deserve. To schedule an appointment with our seasoned Mississippi insurance claim lawyers, please call us or fill out our contact form. We represent policyholders in Tupelo, Jackson, and across the state of Mississippi.