Winter Weather: What do You Know About Recovering Damages to Your Residence?

2/13/2020 (Permalink)

The Green Bay area has received a relatively decent amount of snow over the past few months. As we make our way through February, the temperatures continue to drop in the early morning and late evening hours making some residents rethink if their property is capable of withstanding any of unexpected shifts in weather.

It may be necessary for some homeowners to take extra precautionary measures during the upcoming wintry weather months, especially when the temperatures plummet, and the amount of snow continues to accumulate on the home's structure.

With that in mind, it is easy to assume if your residence has homeowner's insurance; the burden on any climate hardship to your house is not an issue you have to spring into action over. In most cases, you would call in the storm-related incident in for a claim, and the rest would be taken care of with little or no effort on your end.

But what is your responsibility as the property holder? How about if your neighbor's tree breaks then fall on your house due to heavy snow or strong wind?

Here is a short quiz by the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) to test your storm knowledge.  

1) Homeowners insurance generally covers damage caused by wind, snow, severe cold and freezing rain.

 True

 False

2) If my neighbor's tree falls and damages my home, my neighbor's homeowner's insurance will pay for the damage.

True

False

3) Winter storms are an inconvenience, but they rarely result in significant property damage.

True

False

4) I don't have to worry about flooding in the winter, and if it did occur, my homeowner's insurance covers damage caused by floods.

True

False

4) Nearly half of all home heating fires occur in Dec., Jan., and Feb.

True

False

How do you think you did on this quiz? Check at the end of this blog post to see if you were able to come up with all the correct answers.

A few more suggestions to help your household be storm ready are:

• Prepare an emergency travel kit for your car and/or home.
• Keep gutters clear and remove ice and snow from the driveway and sidewalk.
• Ensure attic and pipes have proper insulation.
• Get into contact with your insurance agent or company to review and understand your coverage.
• Trim tree and branches.
• Update your home inventory of personal possessions.
• Made sure your heating system and chimney have been cleaned and inspected.

At SERVPRO of Brown County we make it our priority to respond to storm damage immediately. If your property’s been hurt by a storm or natural disaster, we will work quickly and efficiently to fix the problem and get your life back on track. Call us today at (920) 434-8224.

Our team has the training and expertise to help make it “Like it never even happened.”

Answers:

• True - Standard homeowners’ policies generally provide coverage for damage caused by wind, snow, severe cold and freezing rain. It is a good idea for homeowners to call their insurance company or agent at least once a year to review their policy and discuss coverage questions.
• False - Generally speaking, your homeowner’s insurance coverage will pay for the damage to your home or other insured property if your neighbor's tree falls on your property.
• False - Winter storms can cause significant damage for motorists and homeowners. Last year winter storms caused $3.5 billion in insured losses. They are the third largest source of catastrophic losses, behind tornadoes and tropical storms.
• False - Flooding can happen during any season. Winter can produce flooding, particularly due to snow melting and ice jams. It is important to understand that flood damage is not covered by the standard homeowner’s insurance policy. Flood coverage must be purchased through a separate policy administered by the National Flood Insurance Program. Homeowners should consider purchasing a separate flood policy.
• True - Fire officials and insurers recommend keeping anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating equipment. Nearly half of all home heating fires occur in Dec., Jan., and Feb.