Is hurricane insurance worth it?

Even homeowner policies that don't exclude hurricanes often exclude damage caused by floods caused by increased water. The increase in water can be the result of a surge of groundwater, storm surges, or overflowing lakes and rivers. Flood insurance is available to most homeowners through the National Insurance Program against Homeowners who are most at risk of experiencing strong winds should check with their state insurance commissioner to help determine what additional coverage is needed. States threatened by hurricanes often operate high-risk insurance groups that offer hurricane coverage, says David Miller, director of Brightway Insurance in Jacksonville, Florida.

If you live in a hurricane-prone area, it's a good idea to get enough coverage to pay for the complete reconstruction of your home. Hurricanes can cause devastating damage, and a standard home insurance policy doesn't always cover all damage. Generally, a standard home insurance policy doesn't cover all types of damage caused by hurricanes, especially when it comes to water damage. Unlike other standard or dollar deductibles, hurricane deductibles are expressed as percentages; generally, between 1 and 5 percent of the insured value and the property risk of your home.

This is because more and more insurers are completely excluding hurricane damage, says Frank Darras, insurance lawyer from Ontario, California. You need a separate policy for flood insurance, usually sold by the insurer that sold you the home policy. While you won't find an additional clause called hurricane insurance in your add-on options, you can easily protect yourself and your home from hurricanes by adding provisions such as storm and flood insurance. It may also be worth looking for a new car insurance policy if you think you're overpaying.

Like many aspects of insurance, hurricane coverage varies widely depending on the location, the value of the home, the age of the home and whether you have accompanying storm and flood insurance. If your car insurance includes comprehensive coverage (which insures against the type of physical damage not caused by an accident), then floods would be covered. Prepare ahead of time for hurricane season by keeping up to date with updates on hurricane alerts and alerts on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website. Sometimes, insurance companies impose moratoriums, or binding bans that cease their activities, on policies of hurricanes when a hurricane warning is issued, usually 24 to 48 hours after the warning is issued.

Once you've met your hurricane deductible, your overall policy deductible will apply, usually a fixed dollar amount for any subsequent hurricane claim. Typical homeowners insurance policies cover damage caused by windstorms (unless specifically excluded because of your location) and wind rain; however, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods and may not cover all wind damage, depending on the Extent of the damage and where you live. If you live close to the coast, understanding what your home policy will and won't cover is key to finding the right hurricane insurance. While many standard homeowner policies cover damage caused by hurricanes, there are other aspects, such as floods and damage from major windstorms, that are not covered by the base home insurance policy.

You can find the right home and auto insurance policies for your needs by searching on Credible. Hurricane insurance is a combination of insurance policies that you can purchase to protect your home from hurricane damage, including flood, storm and home insurance. .