Hurricanes don’t just damage buildings—they can grind businesses to a halt, cutting off income and threatening survival. For small business owners, especially immigrants who’ve built their lives around a shop or service, the stakes are enormous. Insurance policies often include business interruption coverage to bridge this gap, but claiming it is rarely straightforward. Understanding the legal ins and outs can help you recover losses and keep your doors open after a storm.

Business interruption insurance is designed to replace income lost when a hurricane forces you to close. It might cover payroll, rent, or profits you’d have earned if the storm hadn’t hit. But triggering this coverage usually requires a “direct physical loss”—think a flooded store or a wind-damaged roof. Insurers often argue that indirect issues, like power outages or road closures, don’t qualify. After Hurricane Maria, many Puerto Rican businesses faced this fight, with insurers denying claims unless physical damage was crystal clear.

Start by proving that physical loss. Photos of a shattered storefront or waterlogged inventory are gold—take them before cleanup begins. Pair these with weather reports linking the damage to the hurricane, not some unrelated event. If your policy covers “civil authority” interruptions—like mandatory evacuations—save government orders too. This evidence ties your closure to the storm, meeting the insurer’s threshold.

Next, calculate your losses precisely. This isn’t guesswork—insurers demand hard numbers. Pull financial records from before the hurricane: tax returns, sales logs, or bank statements showing your normal revenue. Compare that to the shutdown period. If you’re a restaurant owner whose dining room flooded, show how daily receipts plummeted. Include extra costs too—say, spoiled food or temporary relocation. A forensic accountant can refine these figures, making your claim bulletproof.

Timing is a hurdle. Policies often have a “waiting period”—typically 48 to 72 hours—before coverage kicks in, and a cap on how long it lasts, like 30 days. Insurers might argue your losses fall outside this window or that you reopened too slowly. Document your efforts to resume operations—repair bids, supply orders, even calls to utility companies. This shows you mitigated losses, a duty most policies require.

Denials are common, especially if the insurer claims your losses stem from an uncovered peril like flooding. Standard commercial policies exclude floods, but if wind (covered) caused a chain reaction—like a broken window letting rain in—you’ve got a case. Courts have ruled that “proximate cause” matters; if a covered event sparked the interruption, you’re in play. A lawyer can argue this, citing precedents from storms like Hurricane Ike.

Legal action might be your only path if the insurer lowballs or stalls. Business interruption claims are complex, and companies bank on you giving up. Bad faith laws can help—if they deny you without reason, you could win punitive damages. In states like Texas, hit hard by hurricanes, courts have awarded hefty sums when insurers played dirty. For immigrants running tight-margin businesses, this can be a lifeline to rebuild.

Hiring a lawyer early pays off. They’ll navigate policy jargon, negotiate with adjusters, and sue if needed. Look for someone who’s handled hurricane-related interruption claims—experience matters. Many work on contingency, so you’re not out of pocket upfront. For clients of a firm like Leon Immigration Lawyers, this expertise can offset language or cultural barriers, ensuring a fair fight.

A hurricane can pause your business, but it shouldn’t end it. With solid evidence, a clear loss calculation, and legal backup, you can turn an interruption claim into a recovery plan. Don’t let an insurer’s red tape stop you—your business deserves to bounce back.