The United States is heading into the height of disaster season, with millions of people — and billions of dollars worth of property — at risk this summer from hurricanes, wildfires and flash floods.
When homes burn or flood, insurance is supposed to soften the blow. But homeowners and renters often discover what their policies actually cover only after catastrophe strikes.
With some preparation, though, you can better your odds of a smoother recovery if extreme weather hits your home.
Here are three things you can do now to make sure you're ready to deal with insurance after a disaster.
How much coverage do you have?
First, check how much your insurance would pay out if your home is destroyed.
Ideally, it's enough to cover the cost of rebuilding. However, underinsurance is a chronic problem in the U.S., according to United Policyholders, a national consumer advocate. The group says its surveys routinely show that half of homeowners don't have enough coverage to replace their homes after a disaster.
"So check, not just with your insurance company, but if you know somebody in the building industry that can tell you what it costs per square foot these days to rebuild a house, do the math and check if you have enough coverage, because a lot of people don't," says Douglas Heller, insurance director at the Consumer Federation of America.
You should also check your deductible. That's how much money you would have to pay out of pocket if your home is damaged.
"When you increase your deductible, you can get some savings" on home insurance, Heller says. "But you are transferring the risk of a devastating storm back into your bank account and away from the insurance company."
And verify that your homeowners or renters insurance covers living expenses if you're displaced.
"Think about how much it would cost if you had to be out of your house for three weeks, six weeks, three months," Heller says.
For renters in single-family homes, make sure your landlord's home insurance is up to date.
And remember, flooding isn't covered by homeowners and renters insurance, so you need a separate policy for that. Most people who buy flood coverage do so through the National Flood Insurance Program.
Get your documents in order
Next, document your valuables. Having an up-to-date record is a big help if you have to file an insurance claim. Heller suggests using a cellphone to record a video every year of the stuff inside your home or apartment.
Marcus Coleman, vice president of community resilience strategy at United Way, also recommends storing a list of emergency contacts and any medications you need on the cloud or a thumb drive.
Having easy access to copies of your insurance policy, identification and financial information like credit and debit cards is a good idea, as well, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., an independent government agency.
"If I just have a split second, I know where to go to get what I need to be able to answer some of the questions that might come up over the next days or weeks after a disaster," Coleman says.
Keep up with property maintenance
The third thing you need to do is maintenance work around your property, such as trimming trees and clearing roofs and gutters of flammable materials, like leaves and branches.
Insurance policies don't typically state that homeowners have to do things like cut back tree limbs that hang over their house, says David Boohaker, a lawyer who represents policyholders in disputes with insurance companies. "But what it will say is, 'We don't [have] to pay you for damages due to neglect or your failure to care for your home,'" he says.
And insurers have found ways to monitor houses they insure, often without homeowners knowing. "One thing that has come up very frequently, and often it surprises consumers and they get angry about it, is the extent to which insurers are using drones now to do flyovers of property, which means they are looking for these things now," says Brendan Bridgeland, director of the Center for Insurance Research, a national consumer advocate.
In addition to routine maintenance, insurance experts point to programs in a number of states that are designed to help homeowners protect their homes from disasters. In Alabama, for example, homeowners can get insurance discounts if they install roofs that are designed to withstand high winds.
"If there is bad weather, then you [may not] have to make a claim in the first place if you have a higher building standard or higher protection for your residence," Bridgeland says.
Homeowners can contact their state's insurance department to find out if there are programs to help pay for upgrades to make houses less vulnerable to extreme weather.
And if you need help with things like disaster recovery and housing assistance, you can call 211 for information about resources in your area.
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