The 2021 hurricane season is here and Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is urging its policyholders and all Floridians to prepare themselves for the upcoming storm season.

Citizens has taken steps to adapt to its growing policy count by ramping up catastrophe response capabilities and transferring more than $2.7 billion in risk to the global reinsurance and capital markets to protect surplus and shield Floridians from assessments in the wake of a 1-in-100-year storm.

"It’s always a good idea to plan for the worst and hope for the best,” said Barry Gilway, Citizens CEO, President and Executive Director. “That’s exactly what we’ve done here at Citizens and I urge Citizens customers and all Floridians to do the same."

Citizens has partnered with the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network (FPREN) to bring the latest news about catastrophic weather impacting your area. Following a storm, FPREN updates can be heard on public radio stations. An updated mobile app is available for download from the Florida Storms website.

The Citizens website features a Storm Tracker feed, which delivers real-time National Hurricane Center updates directly to your desktop and mobile device through its website. Citizens also offers storm preparation and response information through Facebook and Twitter at @citizens_fla.

Going into the 2021 hurricane season, policyholders should:

• Update your disaster supply kit with additional supplies as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), learn your evacuation route and develop a family communication plan that includes emergency contact information. Don’t forget to create a plan for your pets! Not all emergency shelters allow pets.
• Register for myPolicy to view your policy, claims and billing information. Verify that Citizens has up-to-date contact and mortgage information. You can also use myPolicy to submit a claim online.
• Ensure that all key property and family information (insurance policies, health records, financial records, pet records, identification details, home inventory, etc.) are stored in a safe, waterproof and easy to access location.
• Take advantage of Florida’s Disaster Preparedness 2021 Sales Tax Holiday on hurricane supplies, which runs from May 28 to June 6, 2021.

If you suffer property damage, remember to Call Citizens First at 866.411.2742 or visit myPolicy to report a claim. Representatives are available 24/7. More information can be found on the Citizens website.