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5 STEPS TO PREPARE FOR ANY DISASTER
STEP 1. GET ALERTS - Set up tools on your phone to get emergency alerts and public safety warning messages where you live and work at ListosCalifornia.org/Alerts. STEP 2. MAKE A PLAN - Discuss how you and your loved ones will get to safety and find each other. STEP 3. PACK A GO BAG - Pack important documents ahead of time. Be ready to grab keys, wallet, phone and charger, medication and personal items. STEP 4. MAKE A STAY BOX - Pack supplies for each member of your household to stay safe at home with no water or power: food that won’t spoil, water, plastic bags/bucket for toilet, flashlight, radio and batteries. STEP 5. HELP OTHERS - Check on neighbors and be ready to help those in need. BEFORE A STORM Learn your risks. Places that have flooded before may flood again. Plan ahead to keep your family safe. Storms may close roads and bus routes you usually take. Sign up for local emergency alerts at ListosCalifornia.org/Alerts and learn more from county officials about evacuation routes. Gather food, water, medicine and any other resources your family may need. Keep your car gas tank at least half full in case you are asked to evacuate. There may be traffic and delays. Plan for power outages. Connect with your local utility company to receive alerts or sign up for special programs, especially if you rely on medical devices powered by electricity and refrigerated medicines. Charge devices and backup batteries. Prepare for flooding. Move valuable items like important documents or keepsakes to higher levels in your home. Have sandbags, plastic sheeting and other flood control materials ready. Prepare for high winds. Remove any dead trees or overhanging branches near structures and secure outdoor objects like garbage cans and furniture. Talk to neighbors about how you could work together to help keep each other safe. DURING A STORM Use official TV, radio and county emergency services channels to get the information you need to be safe. Follow instructions from authorities to evacuate or to shelter in place. If you need to evacuate, know that public shelters serve everyone and no one can ask you for ID. Some shelters may better serve people with pets. If a flash flood watch is issued, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a flood will happen, only that it could. Take it seriously. Flash floods can happen quickly. If trapped inside by floodwaters, move to higher floors or the roof, but not attics. Call 911. Never walk or drive through floodwater. Floodwater may be deeper than you think and can sweep you or your car away. As little as 6 inches of water can make you fall. Just 12 inches of water will float many vehicles. If you are outside during a storm, find shelter immediately. Stay away from trees and power lines, especially watch for flying debris. Never go near downed power lines. If a power line falls on your vehicle, call 911 and stay inside until trained personnel can remove it. Limit travel on icy and snowy roads. If you must travel, let someone know where you are going so they know where to search for you in an emergency. If you become stuck, call 911 and do not leave your car. Do not use a gas stove or oven to heat your home. Only use a generator outside, at least 20 feet from doors and windows. Do not use generators in wet conditions. Never use a generator indoors. Its poisonous exhaust can kill in minutes. AFTER A STORM If you evacuated, wait until officials say it is safe to go home. If you can’t go home, find safe shelter by reaching out to local officials. Never drive around barricades. Local responders use them to safely direct traffic out of flooded areas or if roads are blocked or closed due to collapsed pavement, debris or downed power lines. Avoid contact with floodwater. Floodwater can contain chemicals or waste that can make you and your pets sick. Watch for mudslides in areas with saturated ground. Mudslides and debris flows can happen even days after rain has stopped. If a mudslide has happened, avoid the area. Listen to authorities and follow official detours. Document and take photos if you have storm damage. Find other recovery resources on government websites. RESOURCES CalOES.ca.gov State guides, alerts and resources ListosCalifornia.org Disaster readiness, response and recovery QuickMap.dot.ca.gov Up-to-the-minute road information on traffic, closures, chain control and more The following is an update on the California home insurance situation from the non-profit consumer organization, United Policyholders, (“UP”). UP is working hard to help California property owners stay insured and financially protected despite unprecedented availability and affordability challenges in the current marketplace. Reducing wildfire risk is more important than ever for suburban and rural property owners. We believe the situation will eventually improve, but here’s where we are in the here and now. Below you’ll find links to shopping guidance and updates on a few of our related workstreams. Bottom line: As soon as you get a non-renewal notice, start shopping, and don’t go on rumors. Dig for options, be patient. Insurers are still in the CA market but with strict limits/quotas on how many policies they’ll sell in given areas. Your fallback is the Fair Plan, flawed as it may be, it’s coverage. If an insurance agent tells you that your only option is the Fair Plan, we recommend contacting at least one other agent who may lead you to other potential options. We encourage you to share these resources with your neighbors ·Updated shopping tips: www.uphelp.org/buying-tips/updated-home-insurance-shopping-tips-2023/ · What to do if you’ve been non-renewed: www.uphelp.org/droppedCA ·Resources for reducing your wildfire risk and increasing your home’s insurability: www.uphelp.org/WRAP ·Options through the California Fair Plan (CFP): www.uphelp.org/CFP. NOTE: If your home meets the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home or Safer From Wildfires standards, you are eligible for a Fair Plan premium discount of up to 14.5%. Big Picture: https://uphelp.org/bach-talk-an-insured-future-depends-on-bold-public-private-innovation/ · As soon as you get a non-renewal notice, start shopping - don't procrastinate! · Seek out a seasoned insurance broker with access to multiple options. · Do as much mitigation as you can to reduce the risk of your home being damaged or destroyed in a severe weather event. Seek out programs in your community that offer mitigation help and/or grants. · Provide your insurer with documentation of completed mitigation steps and/or your community’s risk reduction activities. · Get quotes for different deductible levels and make an informed decision: A higher deductible reduces your premium. With too high a deductible your insurance won’t cover even a moderate-sized claim. · Avoid making small claims. Your claim history impacts your risk score. Your risk score impacts your insurance options and costs. · Try and reduce/eliminate coverage you can live without (e.g. high dollar limits on Contents/Personal Property, Other Structures). · If you can't find a known brand insurer willing to insure your home, research the financial strength of the companies that offer you quotes. · If a state-sponsored insurance plan is your only option, consider supplemental policies to fill coverage gaps. Tried and true tips: · Bundle your home, auto and/or umbrella policies. · Ask what discounts you may qualify for. · Comparison shop as much as feasible. · Aim to insure your property for its replacement value, even if that means you don’t pick the cheapest policy. · Ideally, buy insurance that covers risks in your region (floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, hail). What can an insurance agent or broker do to help me? · Put in the time to seek out the best available options. · Identify insurance options that are only available through a broker. · Help you make good decisions and save money. · Tailor your coverages to your specific situation and needs. · Walk you through options available through non-standard (“non-admitted” “excess/surplus”) or government-sponsored programs. · Possibly offer a premium financing plan. Flood Insurance? Now?
Flood Insurance has a mandatory 30 day waiting period from the date you purchase it – meaning you can’t “time” buying flood insurance based on a weather report or an impending flood or storm. Whether it is from summer snowmelt or you want to purchase protection before rates go up in the fall, now is a good time to starting looking into flood coverage! Whether you're a renter or a property owner, take a moment to consider adding flood insurance to your financial safety net. Bottom line: basic home and renters policies don't cover flood repairs, but you can fill that protection gap. Not sure if you have flood risk? Take this quiz. Home insurance prices are at an all-time high in many parts of the US today, but protecting your assets is still so important. If you're not in a high flood risk area, adding that protection won't be a budget buster. If you have an NFIP policy but are considering dropping it, make an informed decision before you do. Flood insurance details: · You can add flood coverage through a private flood insurer or the National Flood Insurance Program (“NFIP”). · There will be a waiting period from the date you buy it to the date it kicks in. (30 days for an NFIP policy). · Flood insurance can be very affordable, depending on your location. · Use this link to learn about your area's flood risk, contact an insurance agent or call the NFIP at 877-336-2627. · If you have a mortgage and your home is in a “Special Hazard Flood Zone” your lender will require flood insurance. · An NFIP policy provides $250,000 max to repair flood damage to your home. · An NFIP policy provides $100,000 max for belongings but not automatically. You have to ask and pay for this additional coverage. · An NFIP policy will NOT cover temporary rent if your home is uninhabitable after a flood. Most private flood policies cover that expense. Contact your insurance agent or company and ask: · How much will it cost to insure my home and belongings for flood damage? · Can you help me compare the cost, coverages and options in an NFIP versus adding coverage to my existing policy through a "flood endorsement" or private flood insurer? · Would a flood rider or endorsement give me more than $250,000 in coverage? Will it cover temporary rent?
As most, if not all, of you know by now, flood damage is not covered by your home or business owners policy. Insurance companies began excluding flood damage in the 1960’s and the trend continued and extended so that today nearly all property policies exclude flood and flood related damages. In response the federal government and the lending and insurance industries created the National Flood Insurance Program to address the coverage gap. Lenders now require that you purchase flood coverage if you’re in a primary flood zone. That’s good news for many people who might not have purchased coverage had they not been required to do so. However even the folks with flood insurance are finding that it’s not going to cover all of their losses.
Here are some VERY important things to know about these policies: - Contents coverage is not included, you must purchase it in addition to the building coverage. - There is no coverage for loss of use, loss of rents, or loss of income due to flood damage. - There is no coverage for pools, spas, hot tubs, or decks (other than what’s required by code to access the building). - There is limited coverage for detached garages, and no coverage for any other type of detached structure (granny units, sheds, barns) - There is no coverage for landscape, trees, outdoor furniture, propane tanks, or fences. - If you have an elevation certificate and are paying a reduced rate based upon the “elevated living area” there isn’t coverage for the stuff (contents) below that elevated area. - If you’ve been paid for flood damage you need to keep proof of the repairs or you won’t be able to claim those losses again in the future. Be sure to keep good records of all the repairs you make and receipts for any property you replace. - Flood claims follow the property, not the property owner, so if your property has a history of flood claims before you purchased it, you’re still going to need to know about those prior claims and the repairs that were made after the flood. - There is no coverage for moisture, mildew, or mold that could have been avoided by the property owner. So, that’s an outline of what isn’t covered. But there are a few things that are covered that you might not be aware of: - Flood loss avoidance is included in all flood policies and will cover up to $1000 in reasonable expenses incurred to protect policyholders’ insured property and up to $1000 to move property to safety. - Expenses to protect your property includes things like sandbags, water pumps, sheeting and lumber and the labor used in connection with any of these items. - You may claim labor for yourself and family members at the federal minimum wage. You may also pay others at the same wage. - Expenses to move your property to safety includes labor and storage costs up to $1000. - Keep in mind that it must be placed in a fully enclosed building or otherwise protected from the elements and stored above ground level. - There is no deductible for either of these $1000 coverages - Property removed is covered by your flood policy for 45 days from the date of moving it (just in case you move it to another location that also ends up flooding-which has totally happened!). - Most NFIP policies include Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) Coverage which applies when flood damages are sever. It provides up to $30,000 of the cost to elevate, demolish, or relocate your home if it’s “substantially damaged” or “repetitively damaged” by a flood. This coverage doesn’t increase your limits. - If you have contents coverage, the coverage also applies to contents located in an outbuilding (regardless of the elevation of that building) - Excess flood policies are available for higher value homes that need more coverage than the $250,000 offered through NFIP. - Excess flood policies will also offer higher contents coverage than the $100,000 available on the NFIP policy. As always, if you’ve got questions about your policy or you want to get a flood insurance quote feel free to contact our office. We’re here and our door is open. Call us at 707-874-2666, stop by our office in Occidental, visit www.opendoorins.com or find us at our social media sites @opendoorins |
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February 2025
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