Stormy Weather – and Stormy Damages

It’s raining. It’s pouring.

The old man is…

Ripping out a tree and throwing it at my house.

Tearing off my roof shingles and sending them to visit the neighbors.

Pulling off chunks of my siding and discarding it on the ground.

Big storms can mean big damages to your home and property, and there’s not much you can do to avoid them. While safe driving can help you avoid car accidents, there is no such thing as “safe house-ing” to prevent Mother Nature’s whims and weather from damaging your home.

Here in Minnesota, we encounter a variety of storms, many of which have the capability of hitting us with high winds, hail, or lightning strikes – or all three. Sometimes, we’ll even see a tornado, though they are nowhere near as prevalent for us as they are for those who live in the middle plains – otherwise known as “Tornado Alley.”

One of the most important things you can do, as a homeowner, is ensure that you have the right insurance policy to cover YOUR specific needs, taking into consideration the following:

• The cost to replace your home and its contents in the event of catastrophic total loss
• Whether coverage is wanted for other structures on your property, including sheds and fences
• The value of your personal property contained within your structures, including any special high- value items (which could be candidates to explicitly list with your policy in a separate schedule)
• Other applicable coverages (For example, if a bad storm could force your basement storm drain to back up, do you have coverage for that?)
• What level of deductible you can reasonably handle in the event of a claim – keeping in mind that the deductible on your homeowners insurance is paid per claim, not per year as it is with most health insurance programs)

Your agent will happily guide you through the evaluation process to help you get policy you need.

Coverage for What, Exactly?

When you sit down with your agent, be prepared with specific questions about what your policy will and will not cover based on your specific property.

Do you have a lot of trees around your home? Here are a few clarifying questions you could ask your agent (this list isn’t intended to be a comprehensive explanation of how your coverage would work):

• If a tree falls and it doesn’t hit a structure or a vehicle, will your policy provide coverage for removing and disposing of that tree? 
• If one of your trees falls across the property line and damages the neighbor’s garage, whose insurance company needs to be called? If yours, would you have sufficient coverage should this happen?
• If a tree falls into your house and makes a big hole in the roof, and that results in damage to the interior of the home (like damaged furniture, water damage to hardwood floors, etc.), does your homeowner’s policy provide coverage for that?
• What if there’s been a dead branch on a tree for a long time, and the storm ripped it off the tree and drove it through a window? Is there coverage?
• If a tree falls on your tool shed in the backyard, are your coverage limits sufficient to provide coverage for the damage?

Perhaps you are starting to see how answering these questions can lead you into ensuring that your policies are aligned to give you the right coverages for your specific needs. For example, if a tree falls on your detached 4-car garage, do you have “other related structures” coverage that will provide replacement cost coverage for your 4-car garage? Or do you only have enough coverage to rebuild a 1-car garage?

If storm damage causes your basement storm drain to back up, we’ve written a separate post about that, which you can find here.

The Storm Came – Now What?

When the storm has subsided and it’s safe to go outside, get out there and do a visual inspection of your home. Grab some binoculars and a camera (preferably with zoom lens capability) and…

• Stand a bit away to scrutinize your roof and gables for wind damage. Do the shingles appear intact? Any fascia, siding, or soffit torn away?
• Did a tree on your property or your neighbor's property get uprooted? Did it strike anything? Is there evidence of tree limbs striking the home or causing damage? 
• Are any gutters damaged? Windows broken? Other damage?

Take pictures of everything you see.

Then do what you (safely) can to help prevent additional damage while you’re calling your insurance agent to make a claim. That may mean boarding up broken windows, throwing a tarp over a hole in the roof, moving any limbs that could be a hazard to pedestrians or passing vehicles. Keep receipts of anything you spend in these temporary repairs so you can submit them to the insurance company for reimbursement.

Remember, any repairs that you will do are temporary and are only intended to prevent further damage. Don’t do them without pictures of the original state, and don’t take on any permanent repairs until after you’ve discussed the damage and your repair plans with the adjustor.

Minnesota Pro Tip: Be careful of the door-to-door contractors who offer their repair services in the days following severe weather events.  In the event of localized storm damage, scammers can easily plan a neighborhood incursion (obvious after tornados since they follow a path; less obvious but still do-able for other types of storms), where they go knocking on doors trying to get people to pay them to do work – and sometimes that work will never get done or won’t get done properly. Be careful. Trust local contractors and contractors recommended by people you trust. Do your due diligence on anyone you’re contemplating hiring to do work, making sure they’re insured, bonded, properly licensed, and will obtain any necessary permits on your behalf. 

Start a Quote Online or Contact Us. We look forward to hearing from you.

This article is for general information only and should not be considered an offer of insurance or legal or other expert advice.  The recommendations herein may help reduce, but are not guaranteed to eliminate, any or all risk of loss.  Claims illustrations herein are hypothetical and for discussion purposes only.  Coverage will be determined based on the facts of the claim and the terms of your policy, if approved for issue.  Policy limits, deductibles, conditions, and exclusions may apply.  Your eligibility and premium will depend on the application of Federated’s underwriting guidelines to your unique circumstances including, but not limited to, your personal information, loss history, location, driving record, and coverage.  The information herein is current as of September 2022 and is subject to change.  Coverage not available in all states.  Qualified counsel should be sought with questions specific to your circumstances.   Policies are underwritten by Federated Mutual Insurance which is licensed in Minnesota.