Hurricane season is here again. Please be prepared.

Hurricane Season: June 1, 2019 – November 30, 2019

In a presentation to state lawmakers in January 2018, insurance regulators reported that ongoing Hurricane Harvey claims were about to surpass 670,000 combined personal and commercial property insurance claims to private insurers, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA), and the Texas Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan (FAIR Plan). The Texas Department of Insurance said that number includes about 354,000 residential property claims — including homeowners, residential and mobile homeowners — and about 203,000 automobile claims. Around 37,000 commercial property claims, 66,000 flood claims, and 12,000 “other” insurance claims also have been filed as a result of damage from Harvey.

Fast-forward nearly two years from Hurricane Harvey and we find ourselves entering yet again another year of hurricane season.  As many Central, East, and even North Texans have learned from the past, there are many costly and unpredictable perils associated with an inland-bound tropical event.  Even if you live hundreds of miles inland, you are not beyond the reach of a variety of hurricane-related and potentially catastrophic weather phenomenon risks.

As a part of the Rollo Insurance family, your education on these matters is important to us.  We want you to know the facts.

1. Once a storm develops and intimates towards the Texas coast, insurance companies typically suspend issuing authority for new and/or increased policy limits.  This means when a storm gets remotely close enough to generate even mild concern, it’s too late to consider adding additional coverage.
2. Typically, additional coverage binding restrictions will become active when a named and/or designated storm either forms or crosses into the boundaries of 80 degrees West Longitude and 20 degree North Latitude.

These boundaries can vary by carrier, so play it safe and monitor tropical activity at: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/. The best time to make sure you have the necessary coverage types and amounts is now, while the tropics are calm.  If you want to add coverages or double check you have full protection, do not hesitate to start a conversation with your agent today. Discuss the seasonal risk of hurricane season and what (if anything) extra you need to do to make sure you have the coverage required.