You never know how well you're covered by your homeowners insurance until you file a claim. And the claims process will be particularly long and grueling for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Many had to wait for weeks before returning home and assessing the damage themselves then will have to wait even longer for the claims adjuster to show up. And the adjusters won't be moving quickly through the area. Instead, they'll be studying everything very carefully before deciding whether or not the insurer needs to pay the claim at all -- because flooding is not covered under homeowners insurance, many unhappy homeowners will have their claims denied.

The people of Louisiana and Mississippi will have a lot of words of wisdom to share when the process is finally completed many months from now. But as this year's hurricane season continues to wear on right now, some of the best advice comes from the people of Florida -- who faced four hurricanes last year, learned to work with insurance companies and contractors, and are finally rebuilding their lives. They've learned from experience about the importance of hurricane preparation, getting enough insurance coverage, and dealing with the claims process. Here's some of their advice.

Craig Batterson has become all too familiar with his hurricane insurance -- or lack thereof. His home in Orlando was covered by Fireman's Fund, which answered his phone calls promptly, sent a claims adjuster within ten days and paid his claim ten days later -- sending a check for about $7,800 to fix his roof and replace damaged property.

But Batterson's top-floor condo along the water in New Smyrna Beach was another story. It was insured by Citizens, the state's high-risk pool, because no private insurer would cover it. Even though the roof was ripped off, destroying everything, it took six weeks for a claims adjuster to assess the damage. More than three months after the storm, Batterson received about $2,500 from Citizens. More checks trickled in over the next three months, finally totaling $55,000.

If you own high-risk property, you may have few choices among insurers. But if you do have options, check out the companies' complaint records at your state insurance department's Web site, and act in advance to get the most from your policy when you need it.

For example, you may need additional coverage for flood damage. Most homeowners policies don't cover floods, although 25% of all flood-loss claims are filed in low-to-moderate-risk areas, reports the National Flood Insurance Program. If you live in such an area, you could buy $100,000 worth of coverage for your house and $40,000 for its contents for as little as $233 a year (get quotes at www.floodsmart.gov).

Remember that you'll need cash to cover your deductible. Many Floridians weren't prepared to pay deductibles, which often totaled 2% to 5% of their home's coverage.

You also need money to repair damage that your homeowners policy does not cover. For example, it cost Mari Adam, a financial planner in Boca Raton, about $7,000 to remove ten trees that fell in her yard. If the trees had hit her home, insurance would have paid for damage to the house but still only $500 for tree removal.

Increase your coverage to include upgrades you've made to your house and the expected cost of building materials -- which always jumps after a natural disaster. Many companies limit coverage to 125% of the insured value, so tell your insurer if you've made improvements and ask your agent to calculate rebuilding costs periodically.

Your claim will be settled much more quickly if you have an inventory of your home's contents. Kathy Nicotra of Homestead is prepared. "After Hurricane Andrew in 1992, I had to replace everything," says Nicotra, chairwoman of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents' catastrophe council. "I saved every single receipt and put it away in a safe-deposit box."

Check out ways to protect your home against all types of natural disasters at the Web site of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (www.flash.org). Often it's the simple things that make the biggest difference. After losing power for several days last year, Mari Adam got a cell-phone charger for her car and now uses voice mail rather than relying on an answering machine to pick up messages. Adam also bought a phone that doesn't rely on electricity. "Buying that $10 phone was probably the smartest thing I did."

-- Research: Jessica Anderson

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