by California Casualty | Auto Insurance Info, Homeowners Insurance Info |
While there may be some debate about the cause, more and more people are accepting the fact that a changing climate is leading to extremely erratic weather with more intense storms, prolonged drought, and rising temperatures.
This has led to some of the most dramatic disasters in the U.S. Throughout these impressive weather swings, roofs have been damaged, homes flooded, trees toppled and vast acreage blackened. Many property owners are wondering what’s next and what they can do to safeguard their property?
Here are some important steps that you can take to help protect your property and your family from the major effects of climate change.
Storms
Snow and ice storms, hurricanes and spring/summer thunderstorms have become more intense. From record hail, tornado outbreaks, and torrential downpours; our homes and property are taking a beating.
When these storms hit, check and repair:
- Roofs and shingles
- Gutters and downspouts
- Decks and porches for loose, cracked or exposed wood
- Exterior for chipped or peeling paint, cracks, holes or exposed wood or siding
- Attics for evidence of leaks
- Basements or crawl spaces for damp areas and cracks
- Concrete slabs for cracks or shifting soil
- Chimneys for damage or dirty flues
- Trees and bushes for broken or weak trunks and branches, and removing any branches that overhang your home
Fire
Wildfires in much of the country have burned hotter and consumed more structures and acreage in recent years. Climate change has extended the fire season by an extra two months across the U.S.! In much of the South and West it begins in early spring, ending late fall.
Fire prevention experts recommend that anyone in or near a fire-prone area, especially what is called the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), needs to take these steps to minimize their fire risk and help responding crews:
- Create at least a 100 foot defensible space area around homes and structures (200 feet or more may be needed on hillside areas)
- Keep combustible wood piles, propane tanks and other flammable materials 30 feet from homes and structures
- Remove weeds and dry shrubs near structures
- Keep laws trimmed and mowed
- Trim tree branches 10 feet up from the ground and remove any that overhang your home or other structures, and keep trees spaced 30 feet apart
- Install a fire resistant roof and deck
- Make sure your street name and address are visibly posted for emergency vehicles
- Clear flammable vegetation 10 feet from roads and five feet from driveways, and cut back overhanging branches on roads and drive ways
Keeping your home well maintained is essential to withstand the vagaries of weather. You can find more wildfire preparation tips here.
Know Your Insurance
In the event of these extreme storms it is also critical that you understand your insurance and know:
- If your homeowners policy includes replacement cost or actual cash value,
- Whether you are covered for new additions, improvements or appliance and other upgrades,
- That a floater or scheduled personal property endorsement is needed to fully cover high value items such as fine art, furs, jewelry, silverware and musical instruments
Keep in mind: flood and earthquake insurance are not included with your home or renters policy. However when you have California Casualty, you can easily add each to your policy though our agency services program. Please contact: 1.877.652.2638 or agencyservices@calcas.com .
Another important coverage you should add to your policy is comprehensive coverage. Without it your vehicle won’t be protected if it is damaged or destroyed by a flood, fire or falling tree limb. To ask a customer service representative about adding comprehensive coverage please contact: 1.800.800.9410 or visit www.calcas.com
Lastly, make sure your belongings are also completely covered in the event of a storm or fire. If you haven’t completed a home inventory yet, now is the time to do it. Having a list and proof of the things you own will help you with reimbursement if your home or apartment is damaged by a natural disaster. For our free Home Inventory Guide click here.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Calcas Connection, Good to Know |
Seeing a wall of flames or a madly spinning tornado bearing down on your community or neighborhood is the worst time to wonder, “Do I have enough insurance to build my home again?”
While some areas of the country have already experienced tornadoes and record flooding, fire and storm season is just beginning.
We’ve seen enough disasters to know the stress and financial impact they leave behind. More out-of-control fires and powerful storms have resulted in higher cleanup costs, elevated rebuilding prices and shortages of manpower and materials, due to the damage in a concentrated area.
It’s very important to make sure that you have enough insurance for your home and property.
Here’s why:
- Half of American homeowners have told experts that they don’t really know what their homeowners insurance policy covers
- Other studies estimate that six out of ten homeowners are underinsured by an average of 20 percent – meaning if their house costs $200,000 to replace, they would fall short by about $40,000 if they had a total loss
- Less than 20 percent of those in flood or earthquake-prone areas have flood or earthquake insurance
Here are some of the factors that could lead to a home being underinsured:
- Improvements and upgrades. When you buy new appliances, remodel kitchens and bathrooms or add on to your home, those improvements may not be covered by your original insurance policy.
- Hazardous materials removal costs. After a disaster, your property may be full of dangerous chemicals, asbestos and other hazardous materials. It may take months to get proper permits, and the costs to remove the toxic residue can be quite high.
- Rising construction costs. After large-scale disasters, building materials, construction crews and equipment may be in short supply. Costs in many areas have skyrocketed after massive property destruction.
- Updated building codes. Rebuilding an older home to meet today’s safety codes may be expensive, especially if you bought your home decades ago.
- Limited loss of use coverage. Make sure you have enough coverage to pay for extra living expenses (rent, food and other essentials) while your home is rebuilt or repaired. It’s important to factor in extended time after large disasters, sometimes more than a year.
- Not enough personal property protection. Make sure that you have enough contents coverage to replace the many items you own – bedding, clothing, kitchen items and electronics. Don’t forget scheduled personal property for high value items, such as jewelry, special musical instruments, fine art and collectibles.
Being Prepared
A yearly policy review is a must. As your insurance partner, it’s imperative that you tell us about any home improvements/upgrades that you’ve made. A California Casualty advisor will take the time to explain your policy and help make sure that you have the coverage you need with the discounts you deserve.
Its’s also important that you make an inventory of your possessions. Not only will it help determine the amount of coverage you need, but it speeds up the process of replacing those items. Only half of American homeowners and renters have done an inventory, which could leave them in the lurch after a disaster.
TAKEAWAY:
Take a moment and contact one of our customer service representatives for your policy review by calling 1.800.800.9410, option 3.
by California Casualty | Calcas Connection, Good to Know |
If you’re in the market for a used car or truck, be aware that water-damaged vehicles could soon be coming to your community. While most will arrive from areas deluged by tropical storms and hurricanes, others can come from flooding in other parts of the country. The U.S. Justice Department and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners warn that crooks often ship these flooded vehicles across the country to unwitting buyers, and any used vehicle in any part of the country needs to be checked for water damage.
Carfax estimates there are now more than 325,000 water-damaged vehicles on American highways. They’ve been found from California to Maine and Minnesota to Florida. In fact, the cities where the most flooded cars have washed up are Houston, New York, Philadelphia, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Chicago. The states with the most flood-damaged vehicles are Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Florida and Kentucky.
A waterlogged vehicle can have chronic issues that can last for years. Water fouls fuel lines, destroys electronics, and rusts engines, brakes and other important parts.
You should always test drive and inspect any used vehicle you plan to purchase. Here are some signs a vehicle has suffered water damage:
- A musty odor or heavy aroma of cleaners or disinfectants to mask mold odors
- Water marks or dirt in the dashboard, carpets or trunk
- Rusty door hinges and truck latches
- Corrosion around bolts or screws
- Silt or mud under seats, glove compartments or window wells
- Electronics that flicker or don’t work
- Fog or moisture in interior lights or the dashboard
When test-driving a used vehicle, experts say you should:
- Turn on the ignition and check all instrument panel lights and accessories
- Test the interior and exterior lights, air conditioning, windshield wipers, turn signals, high beams and heater
- Turn on the sound system and check door speakers, which often become damaged in water
- Look at the engine oil – when mixed with even small amounts of water it turns murky and looks like a melted chocolate shake
- Inspect the air filter for water stains
If you suspect you unknowingly bought a water-damaged vehicle, the Federal Trade Commission has a wealth of resources for used car buyers who fear they are victims of fraud.
You can get a free vehicle history check from Carfax or through vendors approved by the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System.
TAKEAWAY:.
Learn more about avoiding flood-damaged vehicles at https://www.carfax.com/press/resources/flooded-cars
by California Casualty | Homeowners Insurance Info |
You worked hard, saved your money and bought a home. Now you want to protect the largest investment you have ever made with homeowners insurance. You’ll sleep better knowing that your insurance will help you rebuild if there’s a fire, tornado or a tree falls onto your home. What you may not know are the many things it might not cover. Your sweet dreams of protection could turn out to be a nightmare because you don’t have the coverage you thought you did.
Here are five things not covered by most home insurance policies:
- Earthquake and land movement. As landslides and earthquakes have become more common in many states, many people are surprised to learn that earthquake or land movement damage is not covered by standard homeowners insurance. You need to purchase separate earthquake and landslide insurance protection.
- Floods. Multiple surveys have found a majority of homeowners and renters thought their property insurance protected them from flooding; it doesn’t. If a river overflows its banks or storm surge sends tides into your home, you’ll need to purchase separate flood insurance, provided primarily by the federal government. Keep in mind there is a 30 day waiting period before any flood policy can go into effect.
- Sewer backups. The sludge can do serious damage and make your home unsafe until it’s properly cleaned up, but it’s not covered under most homeowner insurance policies. Your insurance company can provide a special endorsement to cover sewer or sump pump backups. What you may not know is that homeowners are responsible for the maintenance of sewer and water lines through their property up to the sewer main, and many cities and utility departments will deny responsibility for most sewer incidents.
- Maintenance issues. Insurance companies can dispute payment of damage or injuries if you fail to repair a broken step or other obvious hazards, or for mechanical breakdown of an appliance. In most cases, you will also need a special rider to cover food that might be lost due to a power outage or failure of a freezer or refrigerator.
- Expensive jewelry, fine art, firearms, musical instruments, furs and collectables. Many people learn after a fire or tornado that their precious items only had minimal coverage. You’ll need special scheduled personal property coverage, often called a “floater,” to make sure they are protected for their full value.
And, if you have a swimming pool, trampoline or certain types of dogs, you need to call your insurance company to make sure you are protected. Many insurance companies are starting to exclude them from policies or refusing to insure homes that have one or more of these.
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) also warns that as many as 60 percent of America’s homes are underinsured because owners:
- Didn’t update insurance after remodeling or adding on
- Only purchased enough insurance to cover the mortgage
- Underestimated costs associated with updated building codes
- Didn’t factor in building material inflation in replacement costs
Another important step many homeowners fail to take is to do a home inventory. Nobody can predict when a fire or tornado might strike, but you can make sure your possessions are properly protected. A survey by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners found 60 percent of homeowners have not documented all the things they own. What does that mean to you? Completing a home inventory can speed up your claim and help you determine how much coverage you need. The Insurance Information Institute has created an easy to use home inventory brochure. Items to include are:
- Electronics
- Personal care items
- Jewelry
- Art
- Kitchen items
- Furniture
- Carpeting
- Beds and linens
- Holiday ornaments
- Lawn and yard equipment and tools
by California Casualty | Auto Insurance Info |
If you’ve gotten a new recall notice about a dangerous airbag, you are not alone. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is warning that 51 million vehicles had some recall in 2015. That follows the record 60 million the year before.
Most of these recalls involve Takata equipped airbags. As of April 2016, ten deaths in the U.S. have been attributed to the defective airbag inflator that can send dangerous shards of metal at drivers and passengers. Of the 24 million U.S. vehicles recalled for the problem, only 7 million have had the inflators replaced. Many auto makers, including Honda, are redoubling their efforts to notify consumers about the recall, dating back to 2013.
Be prepared that when you take your car or truck in to fix the problem, it could take weeks or even months until the parts arrive. Many automotive dealers are offering temporary rentals or loaner vehicles until the work is complete. If you get that offer, here are some insurance issues you need to know.
- Your personal auto insurance policy should transfer to that temporary vehicle, but with the same deductibles and limits contained in that policy. If you have an older car or truck without coverage for damage from a collision or hail, flood, etc. (comprehensive and collision), the temporary car you are using does not have that coverage either. Unless you add that it, you will be paying out of pocket to replace or fix the loaner if you cause a crash. You might also want to make sure you have uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage.
- Most insurance companies don’t pay for “loss of use” for a rental vehicle. If you damage the car or are involved in an accident, you can be charged for the time it takes to repair and have it available for rent again. Rental companies will usually charge you the daily rate they lost while that car or truck is getting repaired, plus administrative fees. That’s why you want to negotiate with the dealer for loss of use coverage; otherwise, you may want to purchase it through the agency providing the vehicle.
- You should not drive your recalled vehicle while you have a “loaner” vehicle. Doing so could void the need for that temporary vehicle, and crash with either vehicle may not be covered.
- To speed up any claims and avoid miscommunication, contact your insurance company to let them know you are using a temporary vehicle and provide the year, make, model and vehicle identification number.
You can find additional information, including how to check if your car has been recalled by clicking here.
