Many homeowners tend not to think of the worst-case-scenarios that are natural disasters, accidents, and freak acts of nature. It is all too likely that at least once, one of these scenarios will happen to some degree. It is not to say that an earthquake will demolish an entire building, but it is highly possible that you may experience a storm severe enough to at least cause water damage.
Snow and Other Winter Storms
Snow is fun when it comes down in moderation: just enough to give a solid grounding for sledding, snowball fights, or making a snowman. When it comes down in bulk, like one to two feet at a time, that is when it isn’t fun anymore and becomes a severe problem. All that snow can cause some roofs to collapse, freeze and damage windows and water pipes or lead to drivers losing control and causing accidents.
Rain, Thunderstorms, and Hurricanes
Torrential rainfall, strong winds, and high humidity all together spell out a bad time for buildings. Rain can easily cause flooding for basements and other low-level rooms, and it goes without saying what winds can do to windows, roofs, and walls. Even if you build a durable home and do everything you can, there is no way to predict what else these storms can do to your surroundings. Trees can easily be uprooted, items left outside can be tossed around, and doors can be taken off hinges. Granted, these events are all not likely in the average storm, but should a stronger one unexpectedly come through, you will be glad you’re prepared.
Fire and Smoke
No one ever wants to see a fire damage their home, but it happens. From kitchen grease fires to electrical damage from faulty wiring, it is a realistic scenario that your walls could be heavily damaged from flames. Fires are easily prevented by taking common-sense precautions, according to the Chicora Foundation and fire extinguishers can easily take care of smaller flames before they spread too much, but even then, should things become worse, it is good to be prepared.
The Almighty Earthquake
Many places in America simply don’t have to worry about ever feeling the effects of an earthquake if you go by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s hazard maps, but even then it is possible to feel the aftereffects and shock of one locally. Even the smallest quakes can cause damage to a building’s structure, taking out beams from a house or shaking things lose. For more tips on handling other scenarios, moneytips.com has you covered.
Natural disasters aren’t that common, and weather severe enough to be considered a disaster are easily predicted, giving you ample time to properly prepare just in case. However, no one ever wants to experience what happens the hard way when a disaster hits you and your loves ones. Having disaster insurance is a simple way for you to weather the storm and be able to prioritize your health during a disaster, not your finances.