The insurance companies are kept busy by catastrophic natural disasters that occur almost every year. However, many uninsured homeowners will not benefit from their help and will deal with expensive repair bills instead. Whether you face a wildfire or an earthquake, know the importance of protecting your home and its valuable contents.
The Results of Not Having Insurance
Once a natural disaster strikes, you usually don’t have enough time to gather your belongings and move out. Within minutes, your living room is filled with water or your house is engulfed in flames. It takes only a few seconds to destroy a home that took years to buy.
The results of not having insurance to protect your home are disastrous. When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Texas in August 2017, most homeowners were unprepared for the storm and unaware of how severe the damage would become. After the storm passed, nearly 80% of homeowners did not have flood insurance and faced tens of thousands of dollars in property damages.
A few weeks later, Hurricane Irma hit southern Florida and forced homeowners to deal with similar problems. Many of them returned to homes with mold, mildew and broken debris. Worse of all, they had no flood insurance and no way of being reimbursed for their losses.
Protection From Unexpected Events
The recent Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma were reported among the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. That same year, wildfires struck California, scorching over a million acres of land and destroying hundreds of homes. Some homes were caught right in the path of the fires and completely burned to the ground. Other homes were partly destroyed, and homeowners were left with charred belongings and scorched rooms.
Many victims of the California wildfires never took out fire insurance, and if they did, there was inadequate coverage. As buyers, they assumed that the area was safe and free from natural disasters. As a result, they are left homeless and forced to restore their homes without the help of an insurance company.
Insurance plans for natural disaster are not made for everyone. However, you should not write it off completely and assume that you will never need it. The effects of global warming are increasing the threats of natural disasters all over the world. Take example from people who did not pay attention to the warning signs, and get the right insurance to protect your home and finances.