Getting Your Home Protected From Wildfires

November 9, 2020
A wooden cabin surrounded by forest trees


Wildfires are destructive natural occurrences that happen for several months in a year. It is often called the fire season. Before, the fire season usually stretched only for four months, but a fire season could now last for up to eight months due to climate change.

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You have recently witnessed the massive wildfire that ravaged many parts of Australia, which peaked between late 2019 and early 2020. It blazed an estimated 18.6 million hectares of land, which is nearly the size of Syria, and destroyed more than 3,500 houses.


Wildfire-Prone Areas

The geographic location of your home is an excellent indicator if you are living in a wildfire-prone area. In 2019, California, Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia were among the states with the highest number of wildfires and land area burned. 


Wildfires are burning in some parts of the Western United States like Oregon, California, and Washington. In California alone, wildfires have already burned at least 1.6 million hectares of land. It is the biggest wildfire in the history of California. 


Available land for real estate is limited, so you must live with the possibility of wildfires damaging your property. Hence, you need to protect your home from the damage brought by wildfires. About half a million homes in California are situated in wildfire-prone areas with an estimated value of $200 billion.



Protect Your Home With Homeowner Insurance

If you are located in a place that is susceptible to wildfires; it is wise to get homeowner’s insurance. It can give your property financial coverage from damages that might be sustained from disasters like storms or fire.


In most cases, a typical homeowner’s insurance policy can cover the damages from wildfires. Nonetheless, you might need to get extra coverage if you are living in a high-risk location. You can consider these coverages in your policy:


Dwelling coverage. If your house got damaged or destroyed by fire, it can cover the expenses for repairing or rebuilding your house. It typically covers anything built in your homes like walls, floors, roof, foundation, and cabinetry. Its coverage limit is usually equivalent to the estimated replacement cost of your house.


Additional living expenses. If your house sustained damages from a fire, your family might live in another place while the repairs are on-going. The costs incurred from living away from your principal residence can be covered by additional living expenses coverage. The policy can pay the rental fees in your temporary home or the transportation expenses to get out of the area.


Conclusion

As a homeowner, you need to research if you are living in a wildfire-prone area. It will help you determine the necessary coverages for your property and your family. There is a coverage limit for wildfire damages in a typical homeowner insurance policy. Depending on your location, you might consider getting additional coverage to enhance your policy coverage and provide extra protection to your home.


At Brad Spurgeon Insurance Agency Inc., we do our best in making sure that our clients are well-protected with affordable and comprehensive policies. We make sure to go the extra mile to help you with your needs. To learn more about how we can help you, please contact our agency at (409) 945-4746 or Click Here to request a free quote.

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