 | Cory Zacarello has been an American Family agent for 10 years. His office is in Parsons and he currently resides in Frontenac. PIR’s are a free service offered by his agency, for more information please call 620-421-0400. |
Insurance
2011-04-01 13:55:00
How does tornado season relate to my homeowners policy?
Question: How does tornado season relate to my homeowners policy, and what advice would you offer to policyholders during the stormy season?
Answer: Living the huge majority of my life in Southeast Kansas, I have grown up accustom to life in “tornado alley.” At the ages of six and fourteen, witnessed two tornadic storms both of which were of the touchdown variety. This only fueled my interest and fascination of my love-hate relationship with tornadoes.
As an agent I often get the question, “Do I have tornado coverage/ insurance?” The correct answer would be yes, being one of your covered perils would be wind. However, the pitfall that many policy holders might be unaware of is a potential of a separate deductible for wind and/or hail. Keep in mind that usually keeps the cost of your premium down, but in the long run as a consumer we should be diligent enough to find out exactly the amount of our wind/hail deductible. Most of the time home policies are stated “all perils.” Hence, in that case you have your answer. Some insurers might offer it as a percentage (ie. 1 or 2%) of the coverage of your dwelling. This could lead to deductibles into the $2,000 & $4,000 range on a home insured for $200,000 as an example. Other companies may give you the option by offering a split deductible or all perils. This would allow you to know in advance what you might be on the hook for come storm season.
If you don’t know your specific case, I urge you to contact your agent for a personal insurance review so that there are no surprises come claim time.
Personal insurance reviews, (PIR’s) are generally a free service offered. If you haven’t had one I suggest you consult with your insurance professional. Most reviews average 30 minutes at most and in the long run, it might be the best 30 minutes you spend so you are able to find out just exactly what type of insurance coverage’s you have on all of your insurance policies, not just the home policy.
