How to Prepare Your Home for a Natural Disaster

While hurricanes can strike at any time, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) identifies hurricane season in the Atlantic region as June 1 through November 30.1

Disasters are never fun. But when you're prepared, you'll know that you've done all you can to protect your family and home. With hurricane season upon us, now is the time to make sure you have a plan that keeps you and your family safe, as well as your home.

Make Sure Your Home Is Properly Insured

In a hurricane, potential damage comes from two sources: wind and flooding. Having proper insurance is a homeowner's best financial defense against disasters that could damage, cause major destruction, or even destroy your dwelling.

Talk to your insurance company to ensure that you are properly covered for both wind and flood damage. Proper coverage means both having coverage for damage due to windstorms and floods — and also having enough insurance that you could completely rebuild your house if need be.

Flood Insurance

Coverage for flood damage is often not included in standard insurance policies. You'll typically need to buy separate flood insurance, which protects you against damage due to flooding. Every state offers flood insurance to homeowners through a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) called the National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP.2 Flood insurance is typically purchased through your insurance company, though the federal government administers it.

Your rate typically depends on the level of flood risk where your house is located. The higher your risk, the higher your premium may be. Check to see whether you're in a flood zone by using the FEMA flood map.3

Windstorm Insurance

While windstorm coverage is standard in many home insurance policies, it is often not standard if you live in a high-risk, hurricane-prone coastal area (like Fort Lauderdale or Jacksonville). Ask your insurance company whether your policy covers windstorm damage. If it doesn't, see if you can purchase this as an add-on. If not, you'll need to look into special windstorm coverage.

Ask your insurer to point you toward insurance companies that offer windstorm coverage in your area. The Florida Insurance Information Portal also links off to special insurers that offers windstorm coverage in high-risk areas of the state.4

Have Enough Insurance

It's a good idea to review your homeowner's insurance policy periodically to know what it covers and to determine whether you're adequately insured. There are two ways to insure your home: replacement cost coverage and guaranteed replacement cost coverage.5

With replacement cost coverage, if your home is damaged or destroyed, your insurance company pays up to your coverage limit. If you underestimated what it would cost to replace the home, you would pay the difference. With guaranteed cost coverage, you're guaranteed a full rebuild of your home at its current value.

Policyholders can typically review their homeowner’s insurance coverage online. If you're not sure how, call your insurance agent or your insurance company directly. If you purchased flood or windstorm insurance through a different insurer, you'll need to call those companies too.