Key Points 

• Hurricane Beryl made landfall near Matagorda, Texas, on July 8, 2024, damaging homes, businesses, and vehicles along the central Texas coast and across the Houston area. 
• Many Texas homeowners policies require a lawsuit to be filed within two years and one day after a claim is denied, which places many Beryl claims denied in late 2024 near their deadlines. 
• Chapter 542A of the Texas Insurance Code generally requires written notice to the insurer at least 61 days before filing suit, leaving policyholders close to a deadline with little time to spare. 

Why It Matters 

More than two years have passed since Hurricane Beryl struck Texas. Many homeowners who received a denial or a low payment set the matter aside while they made repairs. Others assumed the insurance company’s decision was final. For many of these policyholders, the window to challenge a denied or underpaid claim in court is closing. Once the deadline in the policy passes, the right to recover under that policy may be lost. Beryl claims are first-party Texas storm damage insurance claims, filed against the policyholder’s own insurer, and Texas law gives policyholders specific rights when those claims are handled unfairly. 

Hurricane Beryl Claim Denied or Underpaid? Find Out If You Qualify. 

Insurance companies received a surge of hurricane damage claims after Beryl struck Texas in July 2024. Adjusters worked under heavy volume, and many estimates were prepared quickly. Some homeowners received full payment. Others received a denial, a partial payment that did not cover repairs, or no final answer at all. 

A denial letter from 2024 is not necessarily the end of a Beryl claim. Depending on the policy and the date of the insurer’s decision, some property owners may still have time to take legal action. 

If you or a loved one had a Hurricane Beryl insurance claim denied, underpaid, or delayed, you may qualify to file a lawsuit and receive compensation. 

Find out whether you qualify or start your claim today by contacting the lawyers at Hissey Mulderig & Friend toll-free at 1-866-806-8117, or by filling out the free storm damage claim submission form located on the right side of this page. 

Hurricane Beryl’s Damage Across Southeast Texas 

Hurricane Beryl came ashore near Matagorda at about 4 a.m. on July 8, 2024, as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. The storm then tracked north through the Houston metropolitan area before weakening over East Texas. 

The National Weather Service recorded a peak gust of 97 mph near the Brazos River in Brazoria County. According to the National Hurricane Center’s report on Hurricane Beryl, storm surge flooded the coast between Matagorda and Freeport with 5 to 7 feet of water above ground level. Inland, 6 to 8 inches of rain fell across the Houston area, flooding roads and homes. 

Fallen trees and power lines caused widespread damage. More than 2.6 million Texans lost power, many for days in extreme summer heat. Moody’s RMS estimated insured losses from the storm at between $2.5 billion and $4.5 billion. 

The Texas Department of Insurance declared Beryl a weather-related catastrophe for losses that occurred July 7 through July 9, 2024, in 67 Texas counties. That designation gave insurers an additional 15 days to meet claim-handling deadlines. It did not give insurers the right to deny valid claims. 

When Is the Deadline to Sue Over a Denied Beryl Claim? 

Texas law allows an insurance policy to shorten the time a policyholder has to file a lawsuit, but not to less than two years. Section 16.070 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code sets that limit. As a result, many Texas homeowners policies require a lawsuit to be filed within two years and one day after the cause of action accrues. 

Texas courts have often found that a claim accrues on the date the insurance company denies it. Under that rule, a Beryl claim denied in mid-October 2024 could face a lawsuit deadline in mid-October 2026. Claims denied in November or December 2024 would follow a few weeks later. 

Policy language varies. Some policies measure the deadline from a different date, such as the date of loss. The exact deadline for a specific claim depends on the policy and the insurer’s written decisions. 

Chapter 542A of the Texas Insurance Code adds another step. A policyholder generally must send the insurer written notice at least 61 days before filing a lawsuit over weather-related property damage. The notice must state the specific amount claimed. Chapter 542A allows a lawsuit to be filed without that notice when there is not enough time left before the deadline expires. Even so, waiting until the final weeks leaves little room to gather evidence and prepare a claim. 

The steps homeowners can take after a denial, including independent inspections and appraisal, are explained in our guide to a denied Texas roof insurance claim. 

Beryl Wind Claims and Disputes Over Prior Storm Damage 

Most Beryl property damage came from wind. Wind tore shingles from roofs, damaged siding and fences, and brought down trees onto homes. Homeowners policies generally cover wind damage to Texas homes, including damage from trees blown down by wind. 

Many Beryl claims were complicated by another damaging windstorm less than two months earlier. On May 16, 2024, a derecho, which is a long-lived line of severe thunderstorms producing straight-line winds, moved through the Houston area. The National Weather Service estimated its winds reached 100 mph in parts of downtown Houston. 

When a home was damaged by both storms, insurers sometimes argued that the damage came from the earlier event, from wear and tear, or from a claim already closed. The Texas Department of Insurance addressed back-to-back storms in 2024, stating that insurers could decide case by case whether to apply a second deductible. 

Along the coast, many properties are insured for wind through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, or TWIA, the state’s insurer of last resort for wind and hail. TWIA policies follow a separate claims and lawsuit process under Chapter 2210 of the Texas Insurance Code, with deadlines that differ from standard homeowners policies. Coastal disputes over hurricane damage insurance claims often turn on how much of the loss is assigned to wind and how much is assigned to storm surge. 

Flood Claims After Beryl Follow Federal Rules 

Standard homeowners policies do not cover rising water. Damage from storm surge along the coast and from flooding inland falls under a separate flood policy, most often issued through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). 

NFIP claims follow federal law, not the Texas Insurance Code. A lawsuit over a denied NFIP claim generally must be filed in federal court within one year after the date of the written denial. Many Beryl flood damage insurance claims denied in 2024 may already be past that deadline, while claims denied more recently may still have time. 

Vehicles Damaged by Hurricane Beryl 

Falling trees, flying debris, and floodwater damaged many vehicles across the Houston area and the coast. This damage is generally covered under the comprehensive portion of an auto insurance policy, regardless of fault. 

Common disputes in vehicle storm damage claims include repair estimates that fall short of the actual cost, total loss offers that undervalue the vehicle, and denials claiming the damage existed before the storm. Auto policies carry their own terms and deadlines. 

Who Is Eligible to File a Hurricane Beryl Insurance Lawsuit? 

Texas property owners and drivers may be eligible to file a Hurricane Beryl claim if they meet the following case criteria: 

1. Owned a home, business, or vehicle in Texas that was damaged by Hurricane Beryl’s wind, rain, storm surge, falling trees, or flooding in July 2024; 
2. Had a homeowners, commercial property, TWIA windstorm, flood, or auto insurance policy in effect on the date of the storm; 
3. Filed a claim that was denied, underpaid, delayed, or closed without full payment. 

If you or a member of your family answered “yes” to all of the above criteria, you may qualify to take legal action and receive compensation. Criteria for other types of damage are outlined in our overview of who qualifies to file a Texas storm damage lawsuit. 

Contact Our Law Firm About Your Hurricane Beryl Claim

If you or a loved one had a Hurricane Beryl insurance claim denied, underpaid, or delayed, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit and receive compensation. The time to take legal action may be running out. 

Our law firm, Hissey Mulderig & Friend, is accepting Hurricane Beryl wind, flood, and vehicle damage claims from homeowners, business owners, and drivers in Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, Pearland, Sugar Land, Katy, League City, Galveston, Freeport, Lake Jackson, Bay City, Matagorda, and communities throughout Southeast Texas. Homeowners and vehicle owners with other storm damage claims may also qualify to take legal action.

Find out whether you qualify or start your claim today by contacting the lawyers at Hissey Mulderig & Friend toll-free at 1-866-806-8117, or by filling out the free case evaluation form located at the top of this page.