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I will try to help; but you must work. You must have a program that has the flood forms. You must have a single family house to estimate. Now do the foundation diagram and run the RC and see if its 80% to RC. Next the house has 5 feet of water inside and 5.6 feet out side(take photos of the water mark) Now gut the house up to at least 5 feet, except the brick veener, studs, electric wires and plumbing lines, Assumehe contents by room all the contents that touched the water is a total loss. Inventory all the contents by room placement. Take the serial numbers of all appliances that have seriel numbers, including the AC condenser. Pay your self minimum wages to muck out the house and remove all floors that are ruined.

Take photos of all rooms, contents and send to me in pdf and I will review and make suggestions. We will get it right after try's. If you have brick-veener over black board, it can be repaired from the inside, but frames inside the studs, with holes for the brick ties and some foam insulation. Wash down the inside with clean water and clorox bleach. spay the studs with paint when dry.

If you really want to do a good loss make the water muddy and over the ridge, you may get a total to insurance. PM me for contact info.

Congratulations on getting flood certified. NFIP found out from Allison in Houston just being licensed does not mean you know how to work a flood claim.  Hold to this basic thought:  Flood is unlike any other claim you work, Wind and Flood do not mix well,  the policies are different and the limits are many. No flood carrier I know will train you to handle their work; they all expect you to come to them ready to go.  I have been licensed for 20 yrs and suggest you understand your limitations and not undertake something out of your league.  Start small and work up slowly.  Read the flood manual often. Try to learn as much background as possible about those limitations. File reviewers have quirks learn them quickly many are not found in your polices  Hope there are some smaller floods before hurricane season. A Cat 5 is not the place to learn Wind and surely not Flood. 

Of course you may already them but just in case you don't on our NFIP Support  page we provide a link to the manual and the flood policies and some additional information that may be of some help.  

http://www.catadjuster.org/Channels/NFIPSupport.aspx 

To me flood claims have been very interesting claims to work and in most cases I enjoy getting them.  However, they can be tough at times.   In a claim similar to the one like Ray wrote about where the flood water was full of mud and in this case up to the top of the first floor I had an insured that committed suicide a week or so after the flood hit.  Floods can be very hard on the insureds because in many cases the dwelling is still standing with all of the contents and unlike a total fire loss the insured has to deal with the personal items.  In this case the insured had built the dwelling and lived in it for most of his married life.

Roy Cupps

Jim,

You're getting some solid advice from these experienced adjusters.  I have several adjuster friends who have  multi-year experience in flood and I use them as my resources for learning.  They have all the forms and shortcuts established so I don't have to re-invent the wheel.  Maybe you can find someone in your local area who is willing to meet with you and share the benefit of their experience.  Good luck.

BTW, how do you flood adjusters handle 'contents'?  Do you do it yourself, let someone else do it, or do you partner with someone to get the contents done while you're concentrating on structures?

This is the recommended way, give a dozen blank sheets to the insured and SHOW them how to fill them out . You apply the depreciation and scan into the final report the ACV amount. You can not get NFIP to pay another person and you too. Thats your job. Do not mix wind and flood on the same storm unless you are working SAP, it will eat you up.

Ray - Thanks again for the advice.

Would it be possible to communicate with you so I can ask some specific questions and for you to elaborate about the flood claims process?

Jim Teer

Houston, TX

832 258 4244