Insurers Encourage Storm Preparation for Tropical Storm Nate
BATON ROUGE, La. –The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) urges all residents in the path of Tropical Storm Nate to take steps now to prepare.
“PCI encourages individuals and families who are threatened by Tropical Storm Nate to act now and get prepared,” said Joe Woods, PCI’s vice president of state government relations. “While the storm’s path is currently uncertain, it has great potential to impacts several states, and there are several things residents can do now to protect their homes and businesses, and ensure they can recover as quickly as possible from any losses. This includes documenting your property and possessions ahead of a storm, so you have an accurate illustration of any damage that needs to be reported to your insurance company or agent.”
PCI recommends taking the following precautions:
• Review your property insurance policy, especially the “declarations” page, and check whether your policy pays replacement costs, or actual cash value for a covered loss.
• Inventory your household items, and photograph or videotape them for further documentation. Keep this information and your insurance policies in a safe place.
• Keep the name, address and claims-reporting telephone number of your insurer and agent in a safe and easily accessible place.
• Protect your property by covering all windows with plywood or shutters, moving vehicles into the garage when possible and placing grills and patio furniture indoors.
• Keep all receipts for any repairs so your insurance company can reimburse you.
• Check with your insurance adjuster for referrals to professional restoration, cleaning and salvage companies if additional assistance is needed.
• Make sure watercraft are stored in a secure area, like a garage or covered boat dock. A typical homeowner’s policy will cover property damage in limited instances for small watercraft, and separate boat policies will provide broader, more extensive property and liability protection for larger, faster boat, yachts, jet skis and wave runners. Additional information can be found on PCI’s Hurricane Headquarters page.
“Just as we saw with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, storm paths can change very quickly and cause massive amounts of damage,” said Woods. “This is a good reminder to check with your insurer to see if you have flood coverage, as many residents do not realize standard homeowners policies do not cover flood damage.”
“Should residents incur any damage, PCI encourages you to notify your insurer immediately,” concluded Woods.
For information on storm readiness, please refer to:
• PCI Hurricane Headquarters: PCI’s Hurricane Headquarters page
• PCI Online Magazine: http://bit.ly/HurricanePrep2017
• PCI 2017 Have A Plan Insurance Checklist: http://bit.ly/HurricaneChecklist17
• PCI 2017 Hurricane Fact Sheet: http://bit.ly/HurricaneFacts17
