Winter Weather

By Author: Marcus Stalder
Total Articles: 491
Comment this article

The Insurance Information Institute (III) is one of those bodies that is true to its title. Whenever you go and have a look at what's on the web site, you nearly always find something interesting. For example, the winter of 2010/11 has been remarkably disruptive. It's not so much that the temperatures were any colder or the snows any deeper than usual. But when you look at the news headlines, you see Governors and Mayors of the major cities parading in front of cameras to offer apologies for their cities, airports and major services closing down. Even Washington was paralyzed this year - by only five inches of the white stuff. When you put all these stories together, the report from the III is confident in offering the assessment that the losses from winter weather are the third most significant source of losses after tornados and hurricanes. We are all so used to the devastation caused by the wind, we tend to forget the effect of the cold. In the twenty years between 1990 and 2009, the total value of claims paid out for winter storm damage was $25 billion. In 2010, the value of claims actually paid so far is $2.6 billion. This ...
... is one of the highest ever totals paid out.

So long as you take sensible precautions during the fall, most people can ride out the worst storms. All it takes is basic maintenance on the furnace or the source of heat within your home, checking out the roof, guttering, and downpipes, and ensuring the windows and doors fit well. Then so long as you have a good supply of food and warm clothing, you should survive until help arrives. This begs the question, what are the main threats? Wind in its own right and as a force to drive the snow into deep drifts, freezing rain, snow and, if the cold is severe, then the ice that forms in all places not properly insulated.

The damage to your home may be direct or indirect when a tree blows down or branches break under the weight of ice. Most policies cover the structure and any contents damaged when the weather enters through the broken windows or the roof. But some policies impose a condition on claims for burst pipes that you should have reasonable insulation and have made an effort to keep the house warm. When all the frozen stuff starts to melt you hope any flooding will be covered either by your private cover or the National Flood Insurance Program. Water seeping in from the roof should be covered. Remember the problem of avalanche from the roof hitting people on the sidewalk outside your home.

If you do have damage, claim on the home insurance policy sooner rather than later. You should take reasonable precautions to prevent damage to the contents. If in doubt, get permission for emergency repairs or move the contents to storage. Home insurance policies offer stronger protection if you have supplied a detailed inventory of your contents. When you notice damage, start documenting it with photographs so the claims adjuster can relate the damage to the inventory lists. With these simple steps, you should ensure a faster progress through the claims process.