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Hurricanes and home insurance damage questions and answers:

 

Don't wait until you are in the middle of a hurricane to obtain insurance as you will be unhappily surprised. Once a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning has been issued, insurance companies will not allow homeowners to obtain new or additional insurance coverage. 

Hurricane season which is generally June through November is usually the time period that insurance will not write policies once they have issued a hurricane or tropical storm warning.   November is over, but get ready for next years season now.

You should be reviewing your policies to learn what is exactly covered, and how much your insurance deductibles and other out-of-pocket are. 

In order to be covered fully you may need a mixture of policies: home, wind and flood. One policy does not cover all of these.

Having coverage through your home policy or the windstorm rider will allow you to make claims for storm damages such as: Blown off shingles, Downed trees, Windows shatterer, Rain entering your home as a result of wind damage - such as roof damage or broken windows.

Let's say for example your home floods due to the hurricane, the damages will not be covered by your homeowners insurance. This is because the rising water (any water that enters the home from the ground) is then considered flood water and will only be covered by a separate flood insurance policy. Also the same goes for damage to your vehicles, if your vehicle gets flooded from flood waters that is only covered by your automotive policy.

Learn what policies will cover damage due to various disasters and make sure you are insured properly. Furthermore, save your deductibles in a emergency fund should you ever need to file a claim.