Lightning Strikes & Homeowners Insurance
Homeowners insurance is essential for all homeowners. Even though it is required to have house insurance if you have a mortgage, it would make sense to have it even if you owned it outright. Having great homeowners insurance makes sense because we understand that life is uncertain and accidents happen. On a long enough timeline, disasters are inevitable. Great insurance coverage with a great carrier means being made whole after your loss and going on with your life. Oftentimes, we think of these types of total loss claims and disasters as rare occurances. However, some are more common than you think, like lightning strike insurance claims. Lightning strikes happen all over the globe and insurance claims from lightning strikes are fairly common. The team at Streamline Insurance is here to discuss why lightning strike claims are often serious and what you can do to prevent them.
Facts of Lightning Strike Insurance Claims
Lightning strikes are common and the damage they cause is much more than you would ever assume. Oftentimes, lightning strike claims are total loss claims. In instances where lighting results in a fire claim that would make total sense. What is unique about lightning claims is that they can be total loss claims even when the damage is not readily apparent. There are several common types of damages that homeowners have to file insurance claims against their homeowners policy: structural, fire, and electrical.
Structural Damage and Homeowners Insurance
When you think of lightning, there is a strong chance that you will also think of thunder. The two phenomena are inseparable in our minds as they are in nature. LIghtning’s power is demonstrated by the fact that you cannot see lightning without somewhere there being thunder. Thunder is the sound of the acoustic shockwave that is produced when lightning strikes. Lighting is unthinkably hot and can reach temperatures up to 54,000 degrees in fahrenheit. Heat generated during a strike rapidly warms the nearby air which then rapidly expands outward, displacing everything in front of it.
Shockwaves from lighting can cause considerable damage to people and property. Research is fairly conclusive that the shockwave from lightning can cause serious medical harm to individuals. Injuries cited in this research can be caused by just being near lightning. Inanimate objects are no different. Houses and other structures can be significantly damaged by the shockwaves. Damaged walls, windows, ceilings, and even foundations can be damaged by shockwaves. Fixing structural damage of this kind is incredibly costly and without homeowners insurance would be out of reach for many.
Fire Damage and Homeowners Insurance
Once you know the temperatures that lightning reaches, it is not shocking that it often results in fire claims. Each year, homeowners file house insurance claims for fire damage from lightning. Bolts often hit houses, cars, or other detached structures like garages or sheds, which sets them ablaze. Lightning also causes wildfires, which multiplies the possible losses as they can burn every structure they touch for large swaths of land.House insurance claims for fire damage can become total loss claims even if the fire seemed limited. Fires can cause structural damage, electrical damge, and smoke damage. Smoke gets everywhere and might require professional remediation, tools and techniques to clean it.
Electrical Damage and Homeowners Insurance
Electricity is dangerous and lightning is electricity, which makes it real easy to do the math. When lightning hits a structure the electricity travelsl from the impact point, through the structure and into the ground. Any wood touched by electricity will be scored and damaged, and might need to bereplaced. Same is true for wiring and plumbing. Appliances that were plugged in at the time of the strike might also be destroyed because of a sudden power surge. Your house does not have to burn to the ground in order for a lighting strike to cause you to file a total loss claim on your home insurance policy.
Ways to Reduce Risk of Lightning Strike Damage
Stopping lightning from happening is not possible, but you can reduce the chance of it causing you to file a claim against your homeowners insurance. First, if a storm is approaching, unplug any unnecessary appliances. Unplugged appliances and electronics will not be fried if your house is struck. Second, install a whole house surge protector. All homes built after 2020 are required to have them based on changes to the National Electrical Code. If your house was built before 2020, have one professionally installed. Third, install a lightning grounding kit onto your house. Lightning wants to get to the ground in the easiest way possible. It can either travel through your plumbing, wires & frame or you can give it a better path. These systems deploy some type of lightning rod that attracts the lightning and then rights it into the ground safely through a system of wires.
Final Thoughts
Lightning strikes can happen year-round, which is why it is important to be mindful of their power. Even one strike has the potential to harm life and property. Thankfully, treating this weather phenomenon with due respect and taking some simple precautions can greatly reduce your risk of harm. However, it is important to keep in mind that you can only reduce the risks of lightning strikes and not eliminate them. For this reason, it is important to make sure your homeowners insurance has the appropriate coverage to protect you in this event.
If you want to make sure your homeowners policy will protect you from fire damage, electrical damge, and structural damage due to lightning, contact us. The insurance professionals at Streamline Insurance will be happy to walk you through your coverages, your limits, and see if you have any gaps. Protecting yourself from a lightning strike means more than trying to prevent it from happening. It is also about making sure you can rebuild if it does. Get a quote from us today to make sure you are ready.