Hurricane season starts on June 1^st and runs through November 30^th and is just a part of life in Florida. While preparations focus on protecting your house, you need to consider your monetary environment. After all, financial planning is the ticket to weathering the storm.

In the following article, Fast Payday Loans, Inc. offers you ten tips to prepare your finances for Florida's notorious hurricane season. We also prepare you for borrowing money from a future paycheck to get a payday loan cash advance to pay for emergency expenses after a dangerous hurricane.

What Are Ten Financial Planning Tips For Florida's Hurricane Season?

The impact of hurricane season on Florida residents depends on where they live and how hurricanes develop. Those who live close to the shore near the Atlantic Ocean can experience intense storm surges, high winds, and significant rainfall, whereas those living inland may experience less severe impact.

However, all Florida residents must prepare for the eventuality that they can suffer from the impact of a hurricane. They must monetarily prepare for losing power, suffering structural damage to their home or car, and other financial fallout of a major storm.

The following are ten financial planning tips for Florida residents during hurricane season:

1. Protect Important Documents From Flooding

Your paper documents are important but not waterproof, so you need to keep the most important ones safe and protected in a weatherproof folder or case. Preserving these important documents from flooding will prevent you from having to replace them after the storm or losing these documents for good.

Here are the documents you should have waterproofed:

• Driver's license copy (front and back)
• Social Security cards
• Birth certificate with the raised seal
• Child identification cards
• Property tax information
• Property deeds
• Medical insurance copy and/or Medicare cards
• Insurance policies
• Car ownership documents

Paper documents are always at risk of heavy storms regardless of how much you prepare. Go the extra mile and make electronic backup copies to secure financial information when a natural disaster hits.

2. Keep Cash On You For Evacuations

Your money is safe in a federally insured banking institution, but you may have to evacuate Florida. Stores and gas stations may be unable to process credit card payments because of power outages, and ATMs may not work.

In this situation, it can help to keep cash on you. This cash stash can be vital for an evacuation to allow you to pay for disaster-related expenses.

3. Review Your Insurance Policies 

Understanding your coverage is the key to recovery following a costly natural disaster like a hurricane. Therefore, you should review your policies annually to uncover any details. Ensure you have flood and homeowner’s insurance to protect you from the damage a severe hurricane with flooding can cause.

When reviewing your insurance policy, consider whether your coverage protects you and your deductible amount. Plus, you should work to understand the differences between what's covered under storm damage insurance, auto insurance, homeowners' insurance, and any other policies you have.

4. Supply Your Home With Essentials

It’s possible that supermarkets and stores will not be able to restock their shelves during a severe storm. Power can go down and evacuations may make it difficult to get the necessary supplies you and your family need.

Before a hurricane is going to affect your area, make sure you stock your home with the necessary supplies. This can include:

• Bottled water
• Non-perishable food items
• Flashlights
• Batteries
• Warm blankets
• First-aid kit

5. Take Photos And Videos Of Your Home And Valuable Items

A hurricane can cause irreparable damage to the valuable items in your home. If you wish to make an insurance claim after the storm, you must have proof that these items were undamaged before the hurricane hit.

Use your phone to take videos and photos of items around your home. It can also help to do this for your home to ensure coverage for damage to your roof, walls, carpeting, and utilities. By physically documenting your home and its contents, you can quickly and easily offer a detailed record of your house and belongings, expediting the claims process following the hurricane.

6. Adjust Your Budget To Prepare For The Storm

If you know a hurricane will affect your area, you must save money on food and supplies to protect your home. However, that may not fit into your budget as it currently stands. You should adjust your budget and find areas to cut expenses to save money.

You can reduce spending on non-essentials, such as fine dining, subscription services, and luxury items, to increase the money you have to prepare for the storm. You can return to your original budget once the storm has passed.

7. Consider Home Improvements

Ask your insurance agent whether you'd be entitled to a premium reduction if you made certain hurricane home upgrades. This can include things like hurricane-resistant doors, windows, and roofs.

If you receive savings, this may offset the costs of fortifying your home to hold up better during a hurricane. Before a storm hits, you can also prepare your home by purchasing sandbags and wood to protect your windows.

8. Go Digital

Registering for e-statements ensures your account statements arrive on time, regardless of the postal service's operation. Plus, going digital means you can always access your statements, whether at home or not. After all, any leftover mail in your box may attract thieves searching for statements, checks, and credit cards while you're away.

It's also a good idea to set up Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay, or other digital wallet services that allow you to access your funds with only your cell phone.

9. Service Your Vehicle

Remember your vehicle during hurricane prep—homes aren't the only expensive things that can be damaged in storms! Consider bringing your vehicle in for servicing ahead of time in case you have to evacuate. You certainly don't want to be stranded in the middle of a devastating storm. 

In addition, remember to fill up on gas once you hear of an approaching storm. Gas prices can surge after a storm, so make sure you have a full tank to avoid waiting in a line all day for overpriced fuel.

10. Build an Emergency Fund

An emergency fund is a separate account you build up to fund unexpected scenarios, including natural disasters. If a hurricane does affect your property, you can use this money to make home and auto repairs, cover a few weeks of expenses, and pay for possible medical bills.

A common rule of thumb is to save enough money to pay for your expenses for three to six months. Start putting money aside now for your emergency fund to handle any financial emergency that arises during hurricane season.

Can You Pay For Hurricane Expenses With A Payday Loan?

If you don't have enough time to build an emergency fund, you can get quick help from Fast Payday Loans, Inc. As our name suggests, Floridians can borrow from a future paycheck to get a payday loan. You can get approved for up to $1,000 with a Florida payday loan to pay for expenses caused by hurricane and flood damage.

We require you to have three items to get approved: a driver’s license or government-issued ID, your most recent pay stub, and a blank check from an active checking account in your name. You can conduct the process in-store or online — convenient and flexible.

You can put yourself in a position to receive a payday loan by following these steps:

1. Fill out the online form
2. Speak to a loan representative on the phone
3. Agree on a location for an in-person meeting
4. Bring your required items to the in-person meeting
5. Have a loan representative verify your required items
6. Sign loan documents
7. Receive your loan cash the same day or the next business day

Contact Fast Payday Loans, Inc. In Florida For Financial Help With Hurricane Damage

You can prepare for hurricane season in Florida by documenting everything in your house, safeguarding important documents from flooding, reviewing your insurance policies, and creating an emergency fund. It’s possible that you can still sustain damage from a hurricane or flood that can leave you in a financial crisis.

Fast Payday Loans, Inc. in Florida, can help with payday loans. Submit your basic information through our online inquiry form, and you'll soon hear from one of our friendly loan representatives over the phone.

Note: The content provided in this article is only for informational purposes, and you should contact your financial advisor about your specific financial situation.