Do Veterans Need Hurricane Insurance?

11 May Do Veterans Need Hurricane Insurance?

Theoretically, hurricane insurance does not exist. Instead, you can acquire a combination of insurance products to protect your house from storm damage best. If you reside in a hurricane-prone area, we recommend getting the most coverage you can.

As we’ll see later in this article, a storm can do a lot of damage, and a standard house insurance policy won’t necessarily cover it.

What is Hurricane Insurance?

In reality, hurricane insurance doesn’t exist as a separate type of insurance. The word mainly refers to a hurricane deductible on a homeowners insurance policy, which is an additional sum a homeowner must pay before the insurer would cover damage or destruction caused by a hurricane. This deductible, which is a percentage of the property’s value, is typical in 19 hurricane-prone states and Washington, D.C.

Hurricane insurance refers to particular types of catastrophe policies that only cover flooding or severe winds (the actual cause of property damage). High-risk storm states like Florida and Texas use these plans, and they are sometimes mandatory.

Who Needs Hurricane Insurance

A hurricane-prone region may require a combination of policies, such as wind, flood, and home insurance together serving as hurricane coverage.

Since hurricanes combine heavy rains, thunderstorms, and strong winds, homeowners in coastal areas usually have to purchase separate flood and windstorm coverage. An additional policy to look into is sewer backup insurance, which is not covered by flood insurance but is a good idea.

Furthermore, some insurers do not cover wind damage for customers who live in high-risk coastal locations.

Residents of coastal communities, such as beach communities in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, may need to acquire supplemental windstorm insurance through their state’s wind pool association.

Who Provides Hurricane Insurance

When a hurricane hits, there is a chance of severe flooding from heavy rain, storm surges, and storm tides. You must purchase supplemental flood insurance since standard homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover flood damage.

To purchase flood insurance, you can use either of the following methods:

FEMA

NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). If you wish to buy flood insurance through the NFIP, you must live in a participating community and buy it from an NFIP-approved insurance provider. FEMA provides flood insurance to the majority of homeowners.

Private Insurance

Some insurance companies offer flood insurance on a private basis. It’s a good option if you don’t reside in a flood-prone area covered by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or insufficient FEMA coverage. Private flood insurance can be purchased as a stand-alone policy or as an “excess” coverage in addition to FEMA flood insurance.

What Does Hurricane Insurance Cost

The cost of hurricane insurance is determined by your location and the number of various types of insurance policies you have on your house. Generally, homeowners insurance costs average $1,249 per year, and flood insurance costs average $707 per year. However, residents with more than one type of insurance will likely be required to pay higher premiums.

Rates

Low to moderate risk areas will have hurricane insurance costs ranging from $1,971 to $2,161 per year (for average home insurance policies that do not exclude wind).

Due to the higher home insurance rates in coastal states, average premiums are several hundred to several thousand dollars higher.

The actual cost of coverage will vary substantially based on your home’s square footage, location, elevation, and a variety of other considerations.

Deductible

Your homeowner’s policy may include a separate deductible for hurricane coverage in coastal states. Unlike other standard or “dollar” deductibles, hurricane deductibles are expressed as a percentage of the insured value and property risk of your home. They typically range from 1 to 5% of your home’s insured value and property risk.

Your hurricane deductible will likely be greater if you reside in a high-risk, very coastal area where hurricanes occur frequently.

A hurricane deductible will kick in if your location experiences a trigger event, such as a hurricane alert or warning. Typically, hurricane deductibles cover damage only from classified hurricanes. However, if the storm weakens to a tropical storm and damages your home, your wind, flood, or hail deductible will cover the damage.

As of now, hurricane deductibles are in effect in 19 states and the District of Columbia:

What Does Hurricane Insurance Cover?

Most conventional homeowners plans will cover some hurricane-related damage, primarily that caused by strong winds that pull shingles off a roof or force a tree branch to crack and smash through a window.

Even if a storm deductible is paid, homeowners should know that coverage gaps exist. A flood resulting from a natural disaster, such as a storm, is often excluded from homeowner insurance plans. Property owners must get a separate flood insurance policy to cover such water-related destruction or damage.

Additionally, homeowners insurance policies do not cover wind-related damage in some hurricane-prone states. Those who want to secure their property would have to buy windstorm insurance separately. Instead of the conventional homeowners’ coverage, this policy would cover all wind damage or destruction in this scenario.

The windstorm policy includes coverage for damage caused by tornadoes, cyclones, and other high-speed winds, in addition to hurricanes.

Is Hurricane Insurance Required?

Although hurricane insurance isn’t for everyone, it can save you if you live in an area prone to hurricanes.

• Heavy winds, hail, and other storm-related events are covered by hurricane insurance (except flooding).
• It has the potential to safeguard both your goods and your property. Even tenants and condo owners should consider this insurance.
• It kicks in once you’ve paid your hurricane deductible, which is a percentage of the value of your house.
• Many policies with hurricane and flood coverage have a waiting period after you buy them, so you wouldn’t be covered if you waited until the last minute.

Anyone who lives in a hurricane-prone area, such as the east coast or the Gulf, should think about buying extra storm insurance. Although having this coverage may be more expensive, with unpredictable weather patterns, it may be necessary to reconstruct or repair damage caused by a catastrophic occurrence.

Hurricane insurance covers cover damage from both wind and rainstorms, as well as water damage — though you may need to purchase a separate flood insurance policy to cover the effects of a severe hurricane fully. A hurricane deductible, which is a proportion of the value of your home, is required by most plans. This can drastically increase your costs, but it may be worthwhile if another Katrina-like hurricane strikes.