As hurricane season winds down across the Gulf Coast and Southeast, families are reflecting on lessons learned. Galen M. Hair, founding attorney of Insurance Claim HQ, emphasizes that preparation goes beyond sandbags and supplies. True readiness means having a plan that protects both loved ones and ensures insurance claims hold up when recovery begins.
Galen has built a reputation as a nationally recognized property insurance attorney, licensed in multiple states and celebrated for his courtroom wins. He has been named a Super Lawyer Rising Star, a Top Lawyer by New Orleans Magazine, and awarded the Pro Bono Publico Award for his tireless advocacy. For him, preparation is about more than legal battles. It’s about giving families tools to weather both the storm and the complicated insurance process that follows.
Why Every Household Needs an Emergency Plan
Insurance policies are meant to protect families financially, but they don’t tell you what to do when cell towers go down, roads are flooded, or pharmacies close ahead of a storm. That’s where an emergency plan comes in.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has long stressed that communities are safer when families take responsibility for their own preparedness. This means creating a plan that fits the risks of your region and your household’s specific needs. For Gulf Coast homeowners, hurricanes aren’t a remote possibility, they’re a yearly reality. Having a plan ensures everyone knows where to go, how to communicate, and what to bring if evacuation is necessary.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. averages 14 named storms and seven hurricanes each season. Many of these storms cause widespread power outages and damage. For families, that means preparedness isn’t optional. It’s survival.
From Supplies to Communication: Building a Family Strategy
Too often, homeowners think preparation stops at bottled water and flashlights. Galen emphasizes that while supplies matter, they’re only part of the picture.
Start with a communication plan. Cell service often fails during hurricanes, which makes communication unreliable. Families should establish a meeting point ahead of time and outline exactly how they’ll check in with one another if networks go down. Equally important is protecting the most vulnerable members of your household. Seniors, young children, or disabled relatives often need extra support during evacuations, and planning for that now reduces panic later.
Emergency kits are another cornerstone. Non-perishable food, clean water, medical supplies, and backup chargers are basics, but Galen also urges people to think about documents. Insurance policies, identification, and proof of property ownership should be stored in a waterproof container. Digital copies backed up to the cloud add another layer of protection if paper records are lost or damaged.
Evacuation routes deserve special attention. Don’t just rely on one. Map multiple exits from your neighborhood and know where shelters are located. Hurricanes can shift quickly, and so should your options. As Galen often points out, the best plan is the one that leaves room for the unexpected.
Protecting Your Home and Your Claim
The physical safety of your family is always the top priority, but protecting your home and insurance claim runs a close second. Galen has seen countless policyholders lose out on fair settlements because they didn’t have evidence of their property’s condition before or after the storm. That’s why he continues to press for documentation as a non-negotiable part of preparation.
“Document the contents inside your home. Take photos of everything, I mean, everything,” Galen advises in one of his hurricane prep videos. This simple step transforms your claim from words into evidence, leaving insurers little room to question what was lost.
“The families who recover most smoothly after a disaster are usually the ones who take the time to really understand what’s in their policy before the storm ever hits. They’ve asked the hard questions, documented their property, and built a support system so they’re not navigating the process alone. The families who struggle the most tend to find out too late that the coverage they assumed they had isn’t actually there, and that gap creates frustration, delays, and in many cases financial hardship. Misunderstanding insurance coverage doesn’t just slow recovery, it compounds the trauma of the disaster itself.”
After the storm, that same principle applies. Photograph all damage before moving or discarding anything. Keep receipts of any temporary repairs. Also, when it comes time to file, consider contacting an attorney early. Insurance Claim HQ has helped recover hundreds of millions for thousands of policyholders nationwide, and many of those wins started with homeowners who documented thoroughly and sought legal help before dealing with adjusters.
For Galen, preparedness is more than professional advice, it’s a mission shaped by years of experience. He first saw the devastation hurricanes cause while volunteering in New Orleans after Katrina. Those experiences drove him to found Insurance Claim HQ, a firm built on fighting for policyholders’ rights.
Even as the season winds down, the lessons learned now will help families prepare for the next storm. The takeaway is simple: prepare your home, yes, but also prepare your family. Have a plan, communicate it clearly, and keep your documentation safe. When the skies clear and recovery begins, the strength of your preparation will matter as much as the strength of your insurance policy.
About Insurance Claim HQ
Insurance Claim HQ is a premier property casualty insurance law firm powered by Hair Shunnarah Trial Attorneys and headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana. With hundreds of millions recovered for thousands of clients, the firm brings years of legal experience and unmatched insight into how insurers operate. Discover how they fight for policyholders at www.insuranceclaimhq.com.
