Q: My brother’s home was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina, and he’s unhappy with the settlement that his insurance company has offered. What should he do?

A: It has been estimated that nearly half of all Americans either suffered directly from Katrina’s wrath or know someone who did. I’m devoting this entire column to answering some of their most common questions.

Often, the best choice for people who are unhappy with an insurer’s settlement offer – whether it involves damage caused by a natural disaster or by some other type of calamity – is to hire a third-party claims adjuster. These professionals, sometimes called “public adjusters,” gather the information needed to contest the insurer’s offer and fight to get the homeowner a better deal.

Adjusters usually get about 10 percent of the homeowner’s ultimate settlement as compensation for their work. Friends or professional acquaintances, such as accountants or attorneys, often can recommend an adjuster that they trust. If you can’t get a referral, you probably can find the names of several firms in the Yellow Pages.

Interview at least three or four different adjusters. Ask about their rates and explain your case to help determine whether fighting your insurer’s offer would be worthwhile. Also ask for names of previous customers and then call them to see how satisfied they were with the adjuster’s performance.

Jerry Wilson loads a wheelbarrow with debris taken out of his home in Pascagoula, Miss. Wilson's home was flooded during Hurricane Katrina. He did not have flood insurance and his insurance company informed him it would not pay for any water damage in his home.

Contact your state’s department of insurance to confirm that any adjuster you’re considering hiring is licensed and in good standing. A call to the local Better Business Bureau also might yield some useful information.

You can feel confident in an adjuster who has been licensed for years and had only one or two complaints. Be wary of those with little experience, several black marks on their record or a number of unresolved cases pending.

Q: What’s the best way to find a contractor to make home repairs?

A: For starters, you need to be patient. It’s understandable if you’re anxious to fix things up, but natural disasters always bring out a slough of fly-by-night operators, and finding a reliable contractor takes time.

In some ways, searching for a good contractor is a lot like looking for a dependable claims adjuster. Collect some referrals from people you trust, then ask each contractor they recommend for names of previous customers so you can call them and inspect the firm’s work. Also contact the Better Business Bureau and the state’s licensing board for information about the contractor’s background.

Get at least three written estimates for the work that needs to be done. Make sure the bids include every possible detail, including the type of material that will be used, a payment schedule, and the date the work will be completed.

Obtain a copy of each contractor’s insurance policy and then call the insurers to make sure that the coverage is still in effect. Your own home insurer might even have a list of contractors that it recommends.

To avoid getting ripped off, never sign a contract that contains any blank spaces: Hucksters will fill them in with unfavorable terms later. Slam the door on any contractor who tries to pressure you into signing or insists on an unusually large amount of cash before getting started.

Q: We didn’t have flood insurance. Is any of our damage covered?

A: I answered a similar question several weeks ago, but it’s worth repeating in light of the havoc that Katrina wrought earlier this month.

An ordinary homeowners policy doesn’t directly cover flood damage, but it does offer a lot more protection than you might think in the wake of a violent storm. For example, if a storm knocked a tree onto your house, a typical policy will pay to have the damage repaired and up to $500 to have the fallen tree hauled away – even if you don’t have separate flood insurance.

A standard homeowners policy also will pay if your roof was damaged and rain ruined your floor or furniture. Similarly, if the storm sent debris flying through your windows and left your rooms a soaking mess, homeowners insurance likely will pay for repairs and to replace most items that were destroyed.

Call your own insurer for details. Also remember that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (www.fema.gov), the Small Business Administration (sba.gov) and several state and local agencies are offering relief to flood victims even if they didn’t have a separate flood-insurance policy.

Q: We’ve already received some money from FEMA and other organizations, but we’re still struggling to cover our mortgage payments. What can we do?

A: Nearly all mortgage lenders are willing to provide payment relief to those whose homes were damaged by Katrina and related floods. Their help also is available to the tens of thousands of people from other parts of the country whose vacation home or rental property in the South suffered damage.

Most of these lenders are offering to reduce their borrowers’ payments or postpone them altogether for the next several months. Contact your particular lender to see if such help is available.

Also, ask your lender if it has sold your loan to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, the two quasi-government financial giants that together own more than half of all the mortgages in the United States. Both companies recently gave their lenders extra flexibility to help borrowers whose finances have been stretched thin by Katrina’s wrath.

– David W. Myers is a 20-year veteran of the newspaper and magazine business, having previously covered real estate for the Los Angeles Times and Investor’s Business Daily.