Hurricane Season is About To Begin - Read This!

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Of course your home is important because it protects your family. It’s where you raise your children and spend most of your time. It is also your most valuable investment and you’ve probably already protected it with a homeowners insurance policy.

You should be aware though, that the best home insurance cannot pay for all types of hurricane damage. It is important to understand what is under coverage on your homeowner's policy. It is the key to finding the right hurricane insurance.

There are two main problems that hurricanes bring: the wind and water. How threatening those are to you may depend on where you live. But, you might need to buy separate policies for hurricane damage coverage.

Homeowners insurance policies usually do not cover floods. This includes the water that came from a storm surge. You need to have flood insurance to get the coverage.

Here in Texas, most homeowners insurance policies do not pay for windstorm damage. You need to get a separate windstorm insurance coverage or work with an agency who can help you get homeowners insurance that comes with appropriate windstorm coverage. Our agency will be happy to help you with that.

Homeowners insurance policies usually don't cover flood damage from hurricanes. It does not cover flood. You may buy a separate flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program and we can help you with that in our agency.

Standard homeowners policies may cover damage from the wind but they also may not. In some cases this includes Hurricanes. Here in Texas, in many cases you need to buy separate windstorm insurance. You may do this through the state-run insurance pool or your insurance company. It may be available to ride on your current policy. Windstorm insurance covers damage from high wind and may or may not cover hurricanes.

Some insurers give a separate windstorm or hurricane deductible. It limits the financial risk to the company in the event of another catastrophic event. The deductible is the amount that you may subtract from your insurance claim. You may do this whenever you lose the property in a hurricane. 

Home insurance deductibles usually have a flat dollar amount. Windstorm deductibles are a percentage of the insured value of the home. They may range from 1% to 5%. It may be higher in high-risk coastal areas. If your home has $500,000 insurance and you have a wind deductible of 5%, they will deduct $25,000 when you file a claim.

Insurers may apply a hurricane deductible if there is a true hurricane. The "trigger" in the homeowner's policy will dictate when it will kick in. When a storm gets a name, it can cause a deductible. Windstorm deductible may only apply to damages from high winds.

A windstorm policy's cost depends on a variety of factors, including your deductible amount. It may also vary where you live and the cost of rebuilding your home. Whenever you buy hurricane insurance make sure that you have enough coverage. It should pay for the cost of rebuilding your home. Your insurance agent may help in getting the right amount.

At the Brad Spurgeon Insurance Agency Inc., we take pride in making sure our clients are well protected at prices they can afford. 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.