Hurricane Planning
OUT-OF-STATE-CONTACTS: Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the "family contact." After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance. Advise this designated person to stay by the phone following a hurricane striking your area. Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address, and phone number of your designated contact person. Fill out Out-of-State Contact Cards with your out of state relatives' and friends' information so you can keep them informed of your safety. Carry them at all times! Following an earthquake, if you are separated from your loved ones, call your out-of-state contact number. Give your contact critical information including your physical condition, location, direction in route and plan to reunite. Check back regularly to update and check on whereabouts of your loved ones.
PLAN TO REUNITE: Make a plan on where and how to unite family members. Choose a person outside the immediate area to contact if family members are separated. Long distance phone service will probably be restored sooner than local service. Remember, don't use the phone immediately after a hurricane, and make local calls only for emergencies.
PLAN RESPONSIBILITIES: There will be many things to take care of after a hurricane. Make a plan with your family, friends, and neighbors assigning specific responsibilities to each person. Remember that it may be difficult to get around after a hurricane, so each person's tasks should be related to where they may be.
DEVELOP A MESSAGE DROP: You need to identify a secure location outside your home were family members can leave messages for each other. This way, if you're separated and unable to remain in your home, your family will know where to go to find you. You don't want to publicize that you are not at home. That is why this location should be secure and discrete. i.e. under a paving stone, inside a tin can, in the back yard, etc.
SAFEST PLACE IN YOUR HOME: During a hurricane, stay away from heavy furniture, appliances, large panes of glass, shelves holding heavy objects, and masonry veneer (such as the fireplace). These items tend to fall or break and can injure you. Know the danger spots, (windows, mirrors, hanging objects, fireplaces and tall furniture).
KNOW YOUR ENVIRONMENT: Always know all the possible ways to exit your house and work place in hurricane situations. Try to discover exits that would only be available to you in an emergency.
Know your open and safe areas that are way from buildings, trees, telephone and electrical lines, overpasses, or elevated expressways. Know the location of the shutoff valves for water, gas, and electricity. Learn how to operate the valves. If you are not sure, contact your utility company.
CONDUCT PRACTICE DRILLS: Physically place yourself and your children in safe locations. Always know all the possible ways to exit your house and work place in a hurricane situation. Try to discover exits that would only be available to you in an emergency.
Hurricane Risk Reduction
Hurricanes strike suddenly, violently and sometimes without adequate warning. Identifying potential hazards ahead of time and advance planning can reduce the dangers of serious injury or loss of life from a hurricane. Repairing deep plaster cracks in ceilings and foundations, anchoring overhead lighting. To prepare for a hurricane, you should take the following measures:
Make plans to secure your property. Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection for windows. A second option is to board up windows with 5/8 marine plywood, cut to fit and ready to install. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking.
Install straps or additional clips to securely fasten your roof to the frame structure. This will reduce roof damage.
Be sure trees and shrubs around your home are well trimmed.
Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.
Determine how and where to secure your boat.
Consider building a safe room.
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( 2.4 / 19 )
National Flood Insurance Program
Regardless of where you live in the United States -- whether the desert, a riverless city, by a lake, on the coast, the Midwestern plains or atop a mountain -- your home is a flood risk. Everyone is at risk for flooding. Floods happen in all 50 states.
Who Needs Flood Insurance?
Since floods can happen to anybody just about anywhere, you probably should consider taking out a flood insurance policy. It's not expensive. If you live in a high-risk flood area and buy a home by taking out a loan backed by a federally insured mortgage, your lender will require that you buy flood insurance.
Where Can You Buy Flood Insurance?
If your community participates, you can purchase flood insurance from your insurance agent through the National Flood Insurance Program.
The National Flood Insurance Program is backed by the U. S. government. Note that you can also assign an existing flood insurance policy to a new buyer; it is freely transferable.
Does Homeowner Insurance Cover Flooding?
Realize that your homeowner's insurance policy does not cover flooding. You will need a separate flood insurance policy. Your premiums will be much lower if the home has never had a flood claim.
Here are three ways you can find out if a home you want to buy has had a claim for flooding:
Order a C.L.U.E. Report
C.L.U.E. stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange. It will give you the five-year history of a home. Your insurance agent can obtain this report for you, you can buy a copy online or order it in conjunction with a natural hazard disclosure report. C.L.U.E. Reports cost about $20.
Ask for Seller's Disclosure or TDS
In many states, sellers are legally required to disclose previous property problems, and those disclosures include former flooding. Transfer Disclosure Statements (TDS) and Seller Property Questionnaire forms ask sellers to disclose that type of information.
Get a Home Inspection
A qualified home inspector can conduct a visual inspection of the home and look for signs of water damage or mold. Typically, contracts are contingent on a home inspection, which means buyers, if dissatisfied with the results of the inspection, have the right to demand the refund of an earnest money deposit and cancel the transaction.
You can also receive discounts if your area participates in the Community Rating System (CRS).
How Do Floods Happen?
Most people think that floods occur because of hurricanes or tropical storms, but those natural disasters are not the sole causes. Some areas can also flood due to rising river waters, flash flooding from heavy rainstorms or rapid snow melt. A flood, in layman terms, is any sudden accumulation of water or mud in area that ordinarily is not wet.
As we continue to cut down trees, build new subdivisions, pave parking lots and roadways, there is less natural soil available to absorb water. Moreover, some residential developments are built on top of wet lands because the land is cheap. If water has no place left to sink into the earth, it will cause a flood.
A heavy rain can easily dump a couple feet of water. In two feet of water, a car can float.
Assessing Your Risk for Flood Insurance
First, understand that if you live in a 100-year flood plain, it does not mean your chances of a flood are one in 100 years. It's a confusing term, but a 100-year flood plain assessment means you have a 1-in-100 chance of a flood in any given year, or a one percent chance each year.
Ask your insurance agent to look at the flood maps to determine if your home is located in a flood plain and, if so, find out what kind of flood plain and the level of risk.
How Much Does Flood Insurance Cost?
The question really is how much does it cost not to have flood insurance. One inch of water can do considerable damage and run into tens of thousands of dollars to fix.
Coastal Policies
If you live on the coast, the premium will be high. You can insure the building and its contents to a maximum of $250,000, without previous claims, for about $5,000 a year. Renter's coverage for contents only of $100,000 is about $2,200.
High Risk Policies
Without a previous claim, premiums are about $2,400 for $250,000 of coverage. Contents-only coverage of $100,000 is about $1,000. According to the government, in high-risk areas, 25% of the homes flood during the term of a 30-year mortgage.
Preferred Risk Policies
$250,000 of coverage, without a previous claim, will run you about $317 a year. Contents-only coverage of $100,000 is $196. However, if the home has had a previous flood claim, that premium for $250,000 jumps to $1,251 a year.
Do not wait for a storm to approach before calling an insurance agent to get flood insurance. Most policies require a 30-day waiting period.
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( 2.8 / 29 )
1.Give immediate notice to your insurance company of your home insurance claim. Call your agent of any damages you feel you will need to file a claim for. Your agent will give you information on what steps to take next for your particular policy. It is best to keep your insurance agent's phone number and policy number in your wallet so you will have the information if it is not accessible in your home. Also, keep track of all communication by you and your home insurance agent regarding your home owners insurance claim.
2.Document and assess the damage to your property. Try to document damage by using a video camera and/or digital camera along with written documentation of all damage you immediately notice and keep those documentation items handy for any future damage you discover.
3.Make any temporary repairs you can. You are responsible for preventing future damage, so try to make any immediate repairs you can such as putting a tarp over a leaky roof.Also make sure you save the receipts from the supplies you use so you can be reimbursed for these expenses (make sure the expenses are reasonable to avoid a denial in reimbursement).
4.Compile a list of items you suspect are damaged or missing. Go one room at a time and have the whole family there to help remember everything that was previously in the room. If you have replacement cost coverage on your personal property items, many of your items should be replaced new, even if their current value is below that cost (ex: a new couch will replace an old couch that may have been only worth a few dollars) so it is important to remember everything that was damaged. This step is much easier if previously an inventory list of items was already compiled and kept in a safe place away from the home.
5.Wait patiently. If your area has just been through a severe disaster, people with more severe damage will most likely be handled first. Keep in touch with your home insurance agent during your waiting period to get updates on how your home owners insurance claim is coming along. If you feel you are not being treated fairly or your claim is being handled inappropriately you can contact your state insurance commissioner to file a complaint. Dont forget your loss of use coverage usually available in your home owners insurance policy, which will cover reasonable living expenses if you cannot live in your home during repairs or have been denied access by a government order.
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( 3.4 / 39 )
Relax your Independent Agent will help!
Choosing an insurance company to provide your business insurance is an important part of your business insurance plan. Once you have chosen an insurance professional, you will need to choose among different policies and programs offered by different insurers.
Here are some things to consider in choosing an insurance company for your business insurance.
Price, Stability, and Service
Price, stability and service are three important considerations in choosing an insurance company.
Price: The cost of coverage can vary greatly from one insurer to the next without any difference in coverage. Have your insurance professional secure quotes from at least three insurers.
Stability: Insurance companies do fail and the results can be disastrous. Companies are rated for their stability by various rating services such as A.M. Best or Standard & Poor. Consider companies with a Best's Rating of B+ or better.
Service: You will want an insurance company with an excellent reputation for customer service.
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( 4.2 / 70 )
Obviously it is hard to think clearly after a car accident so it is important to know before you get into an accident what to do first and what questions may need answered. This checklist will help you know what to do after a car accident. It is best to review it now and then print it out and keep a copy with you in your car.
Determine the Extent of Damage or Injuries
Try to stay calm. Panic can make others panic and the situation worse. There needs to be a calm person to determine the extent of damage and to determine if there are any injuries that need immediate medical attention.
File a Car Accident Report with the Police
Even in a minor accident it is important to make sure there is a legal accident report. Do not leave the scene until the police file a full report.
Discuss the Car Accident Only with the Police
With everyone all shook up it can be hard not to talk about what just happened, but that can also lead to you not thinking clearly and accurately about what happened. It is important to limit your discussion of the accident and not to admit any fault or liability. You should talk about the accident with the police and your insurance agent only.
Get the Facts
This is the part most people know to do, but often forget to after the accident for one reason or another. It is important to get names, address, and phone numbers of everyone involved in the accident. A description of the car and license plate number can also be helpful, but make sure you also get their insurance company and the vehicle identification number of their car. Don't just assume the license plate number will do because most insurance companies only record the type of car and the vehicle identification number, not the license plate number.
Call your Insurance Agent
Call your agent or insurance company's 800-number immediately, even at the scene with the police if possible. Sometimes the police officer can give your insurance company more accurate information rather than information you may not be recording properly because you are upset by the accident. This can save you a lot of time later waiting for your claim to be processed.
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( 3.7 / 60 )In Florida one of the biggest problems has been uninsured motorist insurance. More and more people it seems are driving uninsured and it's hard paying Americans who usually pay the price. An uninsured motorist is a person who is operating a motor vehicle with no type of insurance on his or her vehicle. Many times these people also don't have a drivers license so they are breaking the law in this aspect. Uninsured motorist insurance protects you just in case you are involved in a fender bender with that driver who sometimes are underinsured or don't have any at all. Getting your vehicle fixed many times will come out of your own pocket if you have to deal with people who have no insurance at all.
Protecting yourself is key here. Getting uninsured motorist insurance makes sure you and whoever maybe riding with you is protected from those people who refuse to buy insurance or just want to break the law. The added expense of medical bills and replacing a vehicle can be a very expensive proposition that you don't want to think about. In Florida though things are changing on the uninsured motorist insurance front. New tougher laws are being adopted to protect consumers from those people who don't want to get insurance.
Some new things in Florida is if you carry no insurance you can have your drivers license pulled immediately and your car impounded. Uninsured motorists costs states millions of dollars in damages from medical and property from these uninsured motorists. These states are now starting to take the lead and many before you can get plates for your vehicle you must prove you have uninsured motorist insurance or you will not get any license plates. Every renew of those plates proof must also be shown. This is used to discourage people driving around without proper insurance and putting others at risk.
Uninsured motorist insurance many times will cover that hit and run driver. How many times has your car been in a parking lot and got hit and no one to claim they did it. This gives you peace of mind that whatever damage that is done to your vehicle will get repaired even if no one comes forward. Always check your coverage as ever policy of uninsured motorist insurance can vary state by state so know what it covers in your own situation that way you won't be left in the dark.
With a motorist uninsured the chances of you getting back what you would have to pay out of your pocket for an accident is really pretty thin. This means you could really be put in a financial bind. Don't let this happen always carry uninsured motorist insurance and protect yourself and your loved ones from those who decide not to. It could very well be the best insurance you ever buy. One thing for sure it will protect you from the unknown and that is if the person you were in a accident with actually has insurance at all.
Learn more about Florida Auto Insurance
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( 4.1 / 89 )
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