Recovery still underway: Keys homeowners file more than 9k windstorm claims

Homeowners in the low-lying islands of Monroe County have filed nearly 15 percent of the statewide Hurricane Irma windstorm claims, according to FlKeysNews.

The claims were filed with the state-backed agency, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., one of the primary wind-damage insurers in Monroe County.

Statewide wind damage is estimated to total $1.2 billion for Citizens policyholders, according to FlKeysNews. As of last week, 9,063 claims for windstorm coverage have been filed by policyholders in the Florida Keys – that’s 15 percent out of about 62,400 claims filed statewide.

Miami-Dade County policyholders reportedly filed 24,019 claims with Citizens, and Broward County policyholders filed 9,341, according to FlKeysNews.

EMA estimates about 25 percent of homes in the Florida Keys were destroyed, and the long process of recovering is still underway. The National Flood Insurance Program has paid out more than $60 million in about 7,000 claims on Monroe County property, according to a FEMA official.

About two-thirds of the statewide claims have been settled or closed, according to FlKeysNews. Some claims were not paid since damage estimates fell below the deductible on the policies.

Property damage from Hurricane Irma, which hit the Florida Keys in September as a Category 4 hurricane, is estimated to reach up to $65 billion. [FlKeysNews] – Amanda Rabines