September is recognized as National Preparedness Month
No one knows when disaster may strike but being prepared is the key to protecting ourselves.
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – September is recognized as National Preparedness Month, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency says it’s a good time for people to look at their personal and family plans for responding to a natural disaster.
No one knows when disaster may strike but being prepared is the key to protecting ourselves. The first step you can take is getting your home inspected. Paul Picard is a licensed home inspector. He says checking the smallest things can have a big impact.
“A home inspector is licensed to look at a house at all system levels,” says Picard. “A home inspector can go in and he’s going to inspect the roof, exterior, and air conditioning. In addition to just inspecting it, he’s going to document the current condition of that and give you a written report that has pictures, descriptions, and suggestions,” Picard says.
Having proper documentation of your property can assist in the recovery process.
“One way it’s really valuable is to have a home inspection before severe weather hits because you will have a record before your severe weather hits you will have a record that you can show before the storm and now we have damage and we can prove that. With insurance companies, a lot of them will go off what they see when they come out, and having a record of yes there has been a change can really be helpful,” says Picard.
Insurance agent Austin Bowman says it’s important to know what your insurance covers before disaster strikes and to keep an open line of communication with your agent.
“Something that people don’t look at is loss of use on their dwelling coverages, especially for storms is a loss for use. So, the loss of use is going to be if the worst happens and a tornado comes through and tears your house down. The loss of use is what we are going to put you up with so you need to make sure that is properly done and listed and you know what it is on your policy,” Bowman says.
Sometimes the lowest price isn’t the best option in the long run.
“The biggest thing with insurance is there are hundreds of companies but they are not, all the same, I think it’s really important for customers to do their research in the case of severe weather, especially with the inflation of the housing market roughly what your house is worth a lot of people we see are underinsured,” Bowman says. “They can’t replace their current house now if something were to happen,” Bowman.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney’s office recommends creating a home inventory so that it’s easier to file a claim after a disaster.
A free tool to do this is the NAIC Home Inventory App.
