After many days of living with the damage and devastation of homes and businesses in recent tornadoes and storms in Montgomery County and elsewhere in the Houston area, then comes the possible frustration of dealing with insurance companies over damage claims.
Working with some insurers is easy, but there are others who challenge the details of such claims as a way to save money.
Patience is most needed at times like that, counsels the president of TexasLoanStar, Laith Daik.
"It's an arduus process when you have a claim with an insurance company and on top of that you've got a mortgage lender who's got a lean on the property in most cases, where they have an interest in the outcome of the claim as well.
"But you have to be really patient and work through the claims process and try to get a fair claim.
"And in some cases you might want to get a third party involved to help audit the process so that you get the full benefit of the amount that's needed to repair your home."
Mr. Daik says there are companies that specialize in "interfacing with insurance companies and mortgage companies on behalf of the homeowner, and my understanding is they'll take a percentage of the overall increase in the claims process as their compensation, so that's something definitely to look at in the event you feel like you're not getting a fair shake from the insurance company over that claim."
When it comes to advice in working to come back from a disaster, Daik says you must "definitely be thorough, take photographs of all the damage, make sure you account for everything, make sure you've got a reputable contractor that you've got references on because that's one of the pitfalls of this process because you get a lot of storm-chasers.
Storm-chasers are people who are just trying to make a quick buck and are not going to be there to finish the job, number one, which is the biggest risk, but secondarily be there to service any warranty claims that are going to happen after," he adds.