If you have lived in the Mid-Atlantic for more than a few seconds, then you’ll be familiar with our active and robust hurricane season. Beginning in June and ending in November, hurricane season can spell trouble for even the most prepared homeowners. But what does it mean to be prepared? Let’s take a look at what coverages might be necessary to protect your home from hurricanes.
First things first: no, you can’t just buy hurricane insurance. This is thanks, in part, to the fact that hurricane insurance does not exist. There is no blanket, catchall policy to protect your home from the raging winds and pounding rains that Hurricane Larry might bring, so no need to waste energy on Google. Instead, here are a few things to think about when considering how to protect your home during hurricane season.
Do You Have a Homeowner’s Policy?
In general, hurricanes bring wind, hail and rain damage. While the elements of homeowner’s policies vary by case and locale, in general the rule of thumb is to ensure that your homeowner’s policy does not exclude wind and hail damage from its coverages. But this is only the surface; many states that experience hurricane season have their own rules and requirements regarding how homeowner’s policies apply coverage to these events.
Do You Have Flood Insurance?
If you’ve followed our blog in the past, you know that we take flood insurance seriously. Many people incorrectly believe that their homeowner’s policy will protect them in the event of a flood, and this is most often not the case. There are several circumstances which must be met in order for a flood to be considered a flood in the context of insurance policies, and a flood arising from a hurricane would certainly fall under a flood insurance policy. But if you only have a homeowner’s policy, you’ll be sorry you didn’t read this sooner. For more information regarding flood insurance, check out our blog post here!
If you answered no to either of these questions, and you own a home, then we have got some problems! Fortunately, it isn’t very likely that you own a home and don’t have homeowner’s insurance, so that isn’t such a concern. But if you are entering flood season without flood insurance, it would behoove you to at least explore your options.
Don’t wait until the water is at your door to give us a call! Be proactive and reach out to one of our staff today and we’ll be happy to help you keep your home and family safe!