Hurricane Claims and Home Insurance

If you live on the coast anywhere from Texas to Florida and all the way up to Maine, you have to be concerned about the Atlantic hurricane season. Over the past few years, hurricane seasons are becoming more intense. The 2020 hurricane season was record-breaking, in a number of categories, including the numbers of storms to make landfall and named storms. Every year, hurricanes cause billions of dollars of damages across large swaths of the United States coast. Tragically, homeowners and businessowners makeup a lot of that financial toll. Fortunately for many of them, their insurance companies will make them whole after filing a hurricane insurance claim. With the official start of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season just around, it is worth taking the time to prepare. Here is what homeowners and business owners can do right now to make sure your insurance policies are ready for a hurricane. 

What to Expect from the 2022 Hurricane Season

A good resource for helping you prepare for an upcoming hurricane season is to look at meteorological forecasts to to know what to expect. One of the most respected hurricane forecasts available is the work of a team of scientists at Colorado State University. The team at CSU just released their updated forecast for the 2022 hurricane season and they expect it to be above normal. An average hurricane season has seven hurricanes. The team at CSU is expecting us to have at least 9 hurricanes this year. Even more worrisome, they expect four of them to be major hurricanes. Major hurricanes are any storm that is rated a Category 3 or higher. Quite simply, expect a lot of potential hurricanes and expect big hurricanes. 

Hurricane Insurance Claims Tips for Homeowners

Any homeowner along the Gulf or Atlantic needs to make sure their homeowners policy is ready. They also need to make sure their house is ready. Here are some tips from the team at Streamline Insurance to make sure you and your homeowners policy are ready for the 2022 hurricane season. 

Have an Hurricane Evacuation Plan

Homeowners insurance is there to make you whole if your house is damaged in a hurricane. There is nothing that can make you whole if you or the ones you love are injured or killed in a major storm. While the urge to stick around and try to protect your property might be strong, it should never cause you to ignore an evacuation order. In certain instances, evacuation orders are mandated because of an impending storm. In these scenarios, many residents are fleeing all at once, which can make evacuating difficult. It is important to plan for an evacuation well before a storm is on the way so that you can avoid getting bogged down in the mass exodus. 

FEMA recommends having a hurricane kit already packed in case you need to leave your house. The hurricane kit should include two masks per person and food for 72 hours. Make sure you also have 3 days worth of clothing  and any medication you need. If you have pets, take special precautions, such as bringing a pet carrier and food. Know where you plan to go. If you are planning on leaving the area, make plans to stay with family or friends. Leave early, so that you are not stuck in traffic with everyone else who is evacuating. 

Hurricane-Proof Your Home

With several weeks before the start of the hurricane season, there are some things you can do right now to help hurricane-proof your home. Everything from installing storm shutters to hurricane-proof windows can help reduce potential damage during a hurricane. Broken windows let in the wind and rain, which can cause additional water damage in your home. Securing your windows can go a long way toward protecting yourself from hurricane insurance claims. Flood-proof doors are also a great investment. Homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, even from a hurricane. For that, you need flood insurance. Preventing a flood from happening in the first place can reduce the overall damages you experience. 

Get a Professional Insurance Review

One of the best ways to protect yourself from a hurricane and hurricane claims is to make sure your homeowners policy or business insurance policy is updated and ready. It is necessary to make sure that you have the proper coverage limits to make sure your home or business can be rebuilt after a storm. Home values have increased greatly, and so have building costs, it is important to make sure your coverage reflects this. Additionally, you want to make sure additional structures, such as detached garages, sheds, or fences are covered under your policy. For many carriers, these additional structures are not automatically covered under a homeowners policy and need to be added with the help of your insurance broker. Meeting with your insurance agent or insurnace broker to review your policy will help make sure you are ready for the 2022 hurricane season. 

Final Thoughts

Few things are better than living near the ocean. The cool breeze and salty air can make any summer day feel like magic. However, the cost for enjoying such beauty is having to live with the risk of hurricanes and hurricane claims. Thankfully, quality insurance carriers are there to protect you when disaster strikes. However, some due diligence now can help reduce the risk of potential hurricane claims and can leave you sleeping easier as we get closer to the hurrican season. If you have questions about your coverage limits and want to make sure you are ready for hurricane season, contact us. The insurance professionals at Streamline Insruance are here to help you with any of your questions.