Homeowners across the Mobile area who suffered flood damage during the severe storms that struck between late April and early May are getting extra time to file insurance claims. The National Flood Insurance Program has agreed to extend its usual claim-filing window by 30 days for anyone covered under a flood policy who lost property during that stretch of storms, giving affected Alabama residents additional breathing room as they work through repairs.
Under normal rules, flood insurance policyholders must file a claim within 60 days of the date their property was damaged. With so many households dealing with extensive water damage from the spring storms, the program opted to waive that standard timeline and add a full extra month. In practical terms, a homeowner whose loss occurred on April 28 now has until July 27 to get a claim filed rather than facing a late-June cutoff.
The extension covers both Standard Flood Insurance Policies written directly through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and those issued by private insurance companies participating in the federal program’s Write Your Own initiative, meaning the vast majority of flood policyholders in the region are covered by the change.
Not every deadline tied to the storms has moved, however. Residents still hoping to register for FEMA disaster assistance or apply for low-interest recovery loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration need to do so by July 15, a date that has not been extended.
For those working through a flood claim, the process starts with a call to the insurance agent or company that issued the policy. An adjuster is typically expected to reach out within a few days of a claim being filed; homeowners who don’t hear back within that window are encouraged to follow up directly with their insurer rather than wait. The adjuster’s job includes documenting damage to the home and its contents well enough to prepare a repair estimate, and ultimately issuing what’s known as a Proof of Loss form. That signed document is required before any payment can be issued, and a claim isn’t considered complete until both the policyholder and insurer agree on the damage amount and the form has been submitted.
Homeowners with general questions about flood coverage, the claims process or the extended deadline can reach the National Flood Insurance Program’s call center at 800-427-4661, including through relay service for those who need it.