What you should know about Hurricanes?
- Know what to do before, during, and after a hurricane.
- Prepare before hurricane season starts. Pacific hurricane season starts May 15 and Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1.
- Create an emergency communication plan with your family before a hurricane.
- Have emergency supplies in place at home, at work, and in the car.
- Check your insurance coverage, damages caused by flooding are not covered under normal homeowner’s insurance policies.
- Know your local community’s evacuation plan and evacuation routes and how to receive alerts.
- Listen to local officials.
What to Do Before the Tropical Storm or Hurricane
The best time to prepare for a hurricane is before hurricane season begins on June 1. It is vital to understand your home’s vulnerability to storm surge, flooding, and wind. Here is your checklist of things to do BEFORE hurricane seasons begins.
- Know your zone: Do you live near the Gulf or Atlantic Coasts? Find out if you live in a hurricane evacuation area by contacting your local government/emergency management office or by checking the evacuation site website.
- Put Together an Emergency Kit: Put together a basic emergency. Check emergency equipment, such as flashlights, generators and storm shutters.
- Write or review your Family Emergency Plan: Before an emergency happens, sit down with your family or close friends and decide how you will get in contact with each other, where you will go, and what you will do in an emergency. Keep a copy of this plan in your emergency supplies kit or another safe place where you can access it in the event of a disaster. Start at the Ready.Gov emergency plan webpage.
- Review Your Insurance Policies: Review your insurance policies to ensure that you have adequate coverage for your home and personal property.
- Understand NWS forecast products, especially the meaning of NWS watches and warnings.
Florida Hurricane Deductibles
Hurricane deductibles are percentage or dollar deductibles that are higher than for other causes of loss. They are calculated as a percentage of the dollar amount of coverage on the dwelling or as a flat dollar amount like a standard deductible. By Florida statute, the application of hurricane deductibles is triggered by windstorm losses resulting only from a hurricane declared by National Weather Service. Hurricane deductibles apply for damage that occurs from the time a hurricane watch or warning is issued for any part of Florida, up to 72 hours after such a watch or warning ends and anytime hurricane conditions exist throughout the state.
Hurricane deductibles and their triggers are set by law and are the same for the private, or regular market, as well as Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (CPIC), the state-run program which provides property insurance to consumers. The hurricane deductible applies only once during a hurricane season. All insurers must offer a hurricane deductible of $500, 2 percent, 5 percent and 10 percent of the policy dwelling or structure limits. The percentages are based on the total value of the home (e.g., a 10 percent hurricane deductible on a $200,000 home would be $20,000). In some cases a deductible of more than 10 percent is permissible. For example, for homes that are insured for less than $500,000, the deductible can be higher than 10 percent if the homeowner states the dollar value of the deductible in a letter to the insurer. The deductible must be stated in the policy as a dollar amount regardless of the percentage.
By Florida law, property insurance rate filings must include mitigation discounts or credits. These are applied to property insurance premiums. These discounts are available for personal and commercial residential property only.
The CPIC (Citizens), Florida’s state-run insurer of last resort will insure new homeowners in high-risk areas and others who cannot find coverage in the open private market. Under Florida law, Citizens may write a new insurance policy only if no comparable private market coverage is available or comparable private market policy premiums are more than 15 percent higher than a comparable Citizens policy. Homeowners who receive a private market offer with a premium within 15 percent of a comparable Citizens policy may not be insured by Citizens.
CPIC offers personal, residential, multiperil or wind-only policies, commercial residential multiperil or wind-only policies, and commercial nonresidential multiperil or wind-only policies.
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