Storms can be very scary – the force and wrath of Mother Nature is not to be trifled with. If you have to weather a storm, you might be wondering how you can put your home back to rights. How can home insurance help with storm damage? We’re going to go over some of the ways that your insurance can help you out when it comes to getting your home back to normal.
Does home insurance cover storm damage?
Indeed, home insurance can help you out if there’s a bad storm by covering certain types of damage to your home. Of course, you really have to read through your home insurance policy to fully understand what losses are covered and which aren’t.
Three are a few losses that are typically covered by a home insurance policy when it comes to storm damage. For example, wind damage may be covered by your home insurance – which is helpful, because storms often bring very strong wind. You might be covered for hail damage as well (hey, hail can happen!) Lightning is another loss that can be covered by home insurance. If your home is struck by lightning, it could catch fire, but thankfully that’s usually covered. (Even a power surge could be covered.)
Here’s another storm damage scenario – falling trees. Sure, trees might seem super sturdy, but a good storm can have trees coming down like bowling pins. But once again, home insurance can take care of that loss. (Trees can become very destructive. They might look pretty, but they have a habit of falling on things.)
Another thing to note is if your roof or wall was damaged by wind, the resulting damage from hail, snow, or rain driven by wind can be covered, too. So, not all hope is lost if high winds damage your roof of a wall and water infiltrates your house.
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Storm damage that won’t be covered by home insurance.
So, yes, home insurance is really helpful and can take care of certain storm-related losses. But there are some losses that simply aren’t covered by home insurance. (Again, we encourage you to pull out a fine-toothed comb and possibly a dictionary and read through your policy very carefully.) That way you can figure out how your policy can help you in the event of a claim.
Flooding.
Anyways, one major loss that isn’t covered by home insurance is flooding. (When we say flooding, what we really mean is that there’s a lot of water on the ground where there usually isn’t. This could be from heavy rains.) This is a common exclusion, but unfortunately, many people only find out that flooding is excluded after the fact. And then it’s too late.
You can, however, protect your home with a flood insurance policy from the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program). This can be purchased through an agent. It’s important that you have coverage for both your home and your possessions. Keep in mind that flood insurance typically comes with a waiting period of thirty days with very few exceptions.
Let’s recap.
Okay, that’s a lot of information. To recap:
Home insurance covers certain storm-related losses, such as…
- Wind damage
- Hail
- Falling trees
- Lightning/Power surges
It will not, however, cover flooding unless you’ve got coverage that will take care of these losses. That’s why it’s important to consider flood insurance even if you’re not in an area that’s “high-risk” for flooding.
Make sure you have the right insurance.
It’s really important that you have the right insurance. You need to have enough insurance to rebuild your house if it were destroyed completely. That means you need to insure your home for its replacement cost, not its market value. This will give you a more accurate reflection of the cost of rebuilding your home. For example, if you have a lightning strike that causes your home to catch fire and burn down, replacement cost coverage is key.
Wondering if you can get a better deal on your home insurance? We can help. Our team of agents would be happy to get you some quotes and go over your coverage options with you. Fill out our online quote form, message us on LiveChat, or give us a call.