Katrina Terry
With weather patterns becoming increasingly severe (and tough to predict), even those who live several hundred miles from the ocean may occasionally find themselves displaced or even suffer property damage as a result of a hurricane or tropical storm. Sadly, one thing many homeowners don't realize until it's too late is that their insurance policy doesn't always cover the cost of repairs resulting from hurricane damage. Read on to learn more about what constitutes hurricane coverage, who can get it, and what you should do to ensure your home and property is protected.
What Is Hurricane Coverage?
Most homeowners don't realize that the typical homeowners' insurance policy doesn't provide much coverage for flood damage. While certain types of water damage may be covered (for instance, a burst basement pipe that causes foundation damage), any damage that results from groundwater entering your home may be excluded unless you have a special rider to cover flooding.
Unfortunately, this caveat is often enough to reduce the insurance benefits you receive after a hurricane. This means that if your home is damaged by high winds, your claim will be fairly simple and straightforward; but if these high winds allow water to seep into your home, coverage becomes a far trickier question. To complicate the issue even further, hurricane-related claims are often subject to a higher deductible than other claims, which means you'll wind up paying more out of pocket regardless of what weather event, specifically, caused damage to your home.
How Can You Ensure You're Covered for Hurricane Damage?
If you're worried about whether a hurricane will cause uninsured damage to your home, it's a good idea to check your coverage with a licensed insurance agent. Insurance policies are complex and can vary by state and even by county; while the internet can be a good resource in some respects, it won't often answer specific questions about your own policy. The last thing you want to discover upon returning from a hurricane evacuation is that your home sustained serious damage that your insurance company isn't obligated to pay for.
It's also important to make sure that your insurance policy contains flood coverage if this is available in your area. Flood damage can often be the most serious damage a home can sustain, and flood claims are the ones most subject to rejection; ensuring that you're covered regardless of whether your home is pummeled by high winds, flying debris, or rising floodwaters will provide you with tremendous peace of mind in any storm.
For more information, contact a company like Livings Insurance.
When you start thinking about getting insurance, it can be overwhelming to hear the advice from family and friends. While some people might encourage you to stockpile money and insure yourself, others might warn about the expense of paying for car repairs or a stay in the hospital. However, even the most conservative financial experts talk about the importance of having sound insurance. Because it can be difficult to find the right policies, I decided to create a website completely dedicated to providing free information about insurance. Every situation is different, but if you are like most people, you will need a decent homeowners, medical, auto, and life insurance policy to protect you from unforeseen circumstances.