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Home Insurance And Hurricane Preparations
by: Joseph Kenny
The violent winds, rains and storm damage from hurricanes can devastate communities
and cause billions of dollars worth of destruction. The losses from hurricanes
this year alone have surpassed that from almost any other natural disaster in
years. The risk to your home and possessions can be enormous and you really should
be considering insurance cover for hurricane damage if you live in any area that
is exposed to the risk of hurricane. As well as insurance cover however, there
are other steps you can be taking to prepare for, and minimise the damage to
your property and risk to your family that hurricanes pose.
Since the Atlantic hurricane season begins in June and continues through till
the end of November, there is a significant proportion of the year during which
you should be prepared in some way for hurricane threats. Some of the preparations
below will be required by insurance policies, others will not but are still helpful
to you and your family. Some of them may even be able to bring down your insurance
policy price as the insurance company recognises that you are safer than you
otherwise would be and are therefore less likely to be making a claim.
Be Prepared
First of all you should be familiar with the terms of your insurance policy
and any disaster preparedness and response plans they have. These will help you
in the case that disaster does strike or you find yourself in need of making
a claim.
If you think you may need to evacuate your area, you should contact the appropriate
authorities before hand to know what those requirements will be. You should have
a plan formulated in advance and if there are shelters nearby you should know
where they are and how to get to them.
Keep supplies such as food, water, gasoline, portable radios and batteries
stored somewhere safe so they will be available to you in the emergency. Several
flashlights with extra batteries should be included. Copies of important identification
and insurance documentation would also be useful in certain situations to speed
up applications in the event that wide spread devastation occurs. Medical supplies
such as aspirin and aspirin free painkillers, antacid, bandages, gauze and disinfectant
are also useful.
While insurance is a very important step you should be taking to protect your
possessions and family in the event of disaster, there are many other steps you
can take to prepare for the situation also.
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About The Author
Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the insurance site http://www.insure121.com/
where you will find information, news and links.
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This article was posted on December 01, 2005
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