Hurricane Ian damage, estimated to be in the billions

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - As Hurricane Ian makes landfall along the southeast coast, it is leaving behind what is estimated to be billions of dollars in damage. Experts say the probable large amount of storm damage claims will impact the insurance industry, possibly resulting in some losses.

“What we’re seeing initially is just horrible, it’s catastrophic,” said Toledo-raised, Miami-based insurance policy attorney Mario Enriquez. " I know that a lot of my folks, friends, and a lot of my friend’s parents came down to live on the West Coast of Florida. So they are going to be dealing with these issues. What I would recommend to them is to find somebody you trust, somebody you know, and call them and help them handle it from afar because there are a lot of hoops you have to jump through.”

Enriquez says insurance companies, especially ones in Florida, take into account the risk of disasters like hurricanes.

“When you look at what’s happening, some people with no house what so ever. Maybe you have some missing roof tiles or something like that and you go ‘is it really fair for me to call my insurance company.’ And what I would tell you is unequivocally your insurance company requires you to call them when you have damage. And you don’t want to handle this process alone,” said Enriquez.

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

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