Hurricane Ian damage estimated at billions

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – As Hurricane Ian makes landfall along the southeast coast, it leaves behind damage estimated in the billions of dollars. Experts say the likely large number of damage claims from the storm will impact the insurance industry, possibly leading to losses.

“What we’re seeing initially is just awful, it’s catastrophic,” said Toledo-based, Miami-based insurance attorney Mario Enriquez. “I know a lot of my relatives, friends, and a lot of my friends’ relatives came to live on the west coast of Florida. So they’re going to deal with these issues. What I would recommend to them is to find someone someone you trust, someone you know, call them and help them manage it from a distance, because there are a lot of hurdles to jump through.

Enriquez says insurance companies, especially those in Florida, factor in the risk of disasters like hurricanes.

“When you look at what’s going on, some people don’t have homes whatsoever. Maybe you have missing tiles or something and wonder ‘is it really fair for me to call my insurance company.’ And what I would tell you is unequivocally that your insurance company requires you to call them when you have damage. And you don’t want to manage this process alone,” Enriquez said.

As the storm makes its way along the coast, Enriquez works hard to defend his clients. “It’s a Florida problem, but I’m glad we’re using the ingenuity of Toledo to help solve it. A little bit of that hard work from Toledo is going to show the boys that we can take care of business,” Enriquez said.

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