How Can Home Insurance Help After a Storm?

After a storm comes through in the middle of the night, you wake up to a sight that's scary. Trees are down. Power lines perhaps are falling. Your home is damaged. You wonder what you should do. You should first contact your home insurance agent, who will take every step possible to help you to overcome any of the losses you are facing. Many homeowners don't file insurance claims against their home insurance policy until such an event occurs, which means many don't know what to expect from the process.

The largest claim category associated with home insurance claims related to natural disasters comes from fire, lightning and debris removal. In fact, if a significant event occurs, the average cost of such a claim for these three elements is more than $33,000; that's nearly double the amount of the average claim for bodily injury and property damage. Another key area of concern is hail and wind damage, which also contributes to very high claim amounts. In fact, the average wind and hail damage claim costs more than $7,100. The next common claim is for water damage, which includes damages from freezing, brought on directly from the natural disaster. These claims, on average, are about $7,000.

How can your insurer help you? When an event occurs, the insurance company will step in to provide a great deal of support.

• They will assess the damage and determine what needs to happen immediately to safeguard your home, such as placing tarps or removing debris that could further damage the home or your safety.
  
  
• They will handle the repair work that needs to be done.
  
  
• They can help to reduce the risk of further damage, both immediate and long-term, especially related to water damage.
  
  
• They can help to pay for your hotel costs for any extended period of time while you cannot live in your home.
  
  
• They help to pay to replace the contents of your home that are lost.

After a storm, you can count on home insurance to help with virtually all types of risks you face. Keep in mind, your coverage is only as good as the policy you have in place.