Insurance World

Homeowners Insurance is supposed to protect us in case of disasters. That is what we have come to expect from our homeowners insurance over the years. But what if the disaster is the costliest in U.S. History? What if your insurance agent’s home and office were destroyed in the disaster also?

That is what happened to many customers and homeowners insurance agents and companies after Katrina hit the Gulf coast. Many agents’ homes, offices and insurance Companies’ claims centers were in the same situation as their clients due to the storms. So what did they do? They set up “office” in tents and mobile trailers. Then Hurricane Rita blew away these temporary offices and the agents and companies set them up again. These temporary shelters acted as a communications center for all people in the surrounding areas. Local people would come by to ask questions, meet with their claims adjustors and just catch up on the news with their neighbors. Extreme circumstances dictated unconventional responses: some agents even filed claims for their clients without even talking to the clients just so they could get the claim “in the queue.” Allstate allowed customers to submit claims through any agent in the country and set up a priority line to assist. They sent email to agents in the areas surrounding the disaster areas to act as messengers by “word of mouth” to their fellow agents in the effected areas. The larger companies such as State Farm & Allstate that service claims for the national flood Insurance Program even used satellite imagery to determine damage in some neighborhoods that were entirely flooded.

Lessons Learned: Those of us not effected by these disasters can learn a few lessons about coping with future disasters from the thousands of policyholders that are still waiting to get their claims paid. As soon as possible, take steps to prevent further damage to your home if possible: such as covering the roof with a tarp if possible. You can hire a contractor if you can find one, as that would be safer for most of us than climbing on our roofs. Hold off making any repairs until you see or talk to an adjuster first. Plus, keep your receipts, as you’ll need them to prove expenses that can be re-imbursed later.

What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover?

You can generally expect your homeowners insurance to help pay for additional living expenses for up to 12-24 months while your home is being repaired. But, homeowners insurance usually pays only after they verify you have a legitimate claim. After Katrina, many insurers made an exception, automatically distributing enough to cover two weeks’ worth of additional living expense to anyone in an area subject to mandatory evacuation. Some companies even gave small advances on contents under the personal property part of their homeowners insurance policies.

If you have to wait to get your check, it helps to have cash that is easily accessible in a bank account or money market fund. Stashing cash at home isn’t a great idea because if your home burns down and you weren’t able to get to your cash, most homeowners insurance policies only cover $100-$200 in cash whether it is stolen or burned up in a fire. Your goal should be to have an emergency fund available to take care of your family for 2-4 weeks (minimum)if possible. In a disaster it might be hard to even find a local bank to get cash. Debit/credit cards with a statewide or national bank would perhaps be better.

Your biggest problem in getting your claim handled may be in either not having the proper homeowners insurance coverage or not having enough coverage. Most good homeowners insurance policies today cover up to 120% of your dwelling coverage limit. It is important that you review the dwelling limit with your agent every couple of year’s at a minimum. Homeowners insurance policies do not cover Flooding, but you should again see your agent for this coverage.

If your homeowners insurance falls short, you may qualify for money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or a disaster-assistance loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA). Homeowners can borrow up to $200,000 for rebuilding and $40,000 to replace personal property at very low interest rates for up to 30 years.

Auto Insurance policies can be divided into different categories according to the coverage they provide. Broadly speaking there are four kinds of policies known as Collision Insurance, Comprehensive Coverage Insurance, Uninsured and underinsured Motorist Coverage policies and No Fault Automobile Insurance policy. Besides these, there are policies that take care of other needs like covering an auto loan, paying for towing expenses or paying for the cost of a rented car while your vehicle is being repaired. The most common insurance policies are:

Collision: Any property damage caused to your vehicle due to an accident caused by any other vehicle or object is covered under this policy. The claim amount cannot exceed the actual cash value of the vehicle and is subject to any deductible.

Comprehensive: Any property damage to your vehicle that is caused by non-collision factors like fire, theft, vandalism, and even natural disasters like flood, hurricane or earthquake is covered under this policy.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage: takes cares of any injury that may result to you or to persons insured in your policy from an accident that takes place with another uninsured or underinsured driver or vehicle owner. Generally only body injuries are covered under this policy.

No Fault Auto Insurance Policy: Irrespective of who caused the accident, the insurance company pays for the medical expenses and for the loss of wages that the insured suffers on account of a collision under this policy.

Some other additional coverage that an auto insurance policy holder can buy are:

Property Damage Liability and Bodily Injury Liability: These two policies protect the insured from any claims made against him for causing damage to property including vehicle belonging to another person or for causing any bodily injury or loss of life to other individuals up to the amount mentioned in the policy.

Auto Lease Protection: is an additional protection that you may add to your collision or comprehensive auto insurance policy to take care of any gap that exists between your auto loan amount and the cash value of your vehicle.

Full Tort and Limited Tort: available only in the state of Pennsylvania allows the insured to retain unrestricted rights to bring a lawsuit against a negligent party or recover expenses incurred for certain damages.

Rental Expense: Known as Extended Transportation Expense Coverage, the policy pays for a rental car while your vehicle is being repaired or replaced.

Medical Payments Insurance covers medical expenses for injuries sustained in an accident involving any vehicle for the insured, his passengers and other parties irrespective of whose fault it is.

Towing and Labor: An additional coverage option that can pay for all necessary towing and labor costs to tow your damaged vehicle to a work shop or another location.