Cleaning up in the wake of recent storms, policyholders are turning to a hurricane insurance claim to help them recover compensation for their damages. But the recent experiences of other insurance claim filers indicates that it could take years to get full recovery.

Survivors of Hurricane Irma who spoke to NBC News warn that those who need to file a hurricane insurance claim after Hurricanes Michael and Florence may spend the next few years cleaning up, rebuilding, and getting their insurance claims resolved.

Some of the fallout from hurricane Irma left survivors with health conditions such as infections from using dangerous water and post-traumatic stress disorder. Others had to deal with the cost of an exterminator to get rid of a bat infestation.

Many of these hurricane Irma survivors initiated a hurricane insurance claim, assuming that this would help them to put the pieces of their lives back together. However, some have had to go to battle when their insurance companies allegedly offered them much less than the overall value of the damaged property or their home.

Those who survived the recent hurricanes estimate that current Florida residents who need to initiate a hurricane insurance claim might not be aware of the challenges they will face. They say that there are many headaches and problems in terms of battling with insurance companies, and they estimate that it could take hurricane survivors up to seven years to have fully restored property. Many are only just now living in sanitary conditions.

NBC News reports that Florida Governor Rick Scott described Hurricane Michael as the most damaging hurricane to hit Florida since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 after a tour of the devastation. The governor said Michael’s winds and storm surge appears to have had a more destructive effect than Irma’s flood waters.

Those who have had to file a hurricane insurance claim might be shocked to realize that they are only able to recover partial damage costs based on their own estimation of the damage.

A data and analytics firm predicts that the damage to commercial and residential properties from Hurricanes Michael and Florence could be beyond $4.5 billion, which includes only the insured losses.

Filing a hurricane insurance claim might be the only opportunity for someone to receive compensation after they have lived through a natural disaster. However, the widespread nature of the damage means that many people don’t even fully realize the cost that might or might not be covered in their hurricane insurance claim.

Getting qualified legal help may help policyholders get all the coverage they’re entitled to from their insurance company. Claimants who have already been paid may even be able to get more help if earlier payments were less than what they had coming to them.