Wind Damage Explained

By Author: Marcus Stalder
Total Articles: 491
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We have to start with the clear understanding that insurance companies exist to make a profit. In a way, that is profit at the expense of our own misfortunes. But, no matter what you think about the morality, the practical necessity is to have some cover should anything go wrong. Except, of course, teams of lawyers have been slaving away over hot documents, ensuring our chances to claim are as limited as possible. If we could just claim whenever anything went wrong, the insurers could be out of business tomorrow. So before you buy, read through all the small print to find out just how limited your rights to claim. That way, you're not going to be disappointed when the worst happens and your claim is refused.

This year seems to have been quite bad from a weather point of view. There were severe winter storms and now the spring has come, there have been dozens of tornadoes plowing straight furrows across the Central Plains and Texas, sometimes with hail and lightning adding to the damage. It's always disconcerting to see the helicopter shots of damage after tornado strikes. You see straight-lines taking out trees, fences, ...
... homes and businesses. For those inside buildings, there's a roaring, the house shakes, glass breaks, the lights go out and, if you're really unlucky, the roof comes off.

The good news is that most insurance policies cover damage to the structure and contents caused by the wind. For those of you not familiar with the risk, the tornado season runs from the spring through early summer. But the most damage is caused early on when there's still cold air coming down from the north in sufficient volume to create the worst effects. There's also fairly standard cover against hurricanes. But you should always read the policy. Some insurers in high risk areas do exclude wind coverage but, so far, this exclusion is not general. More common is a specific wind deductible. This can either be a flat amount or a percentage of the total claim. But once you get away from direct damage caused by the wind, you start hitting problems. So, for example, if the wind brings down a tree on to your roof, you can rebuild and replace the shingles. But if the roots of same tree break the sewage pipes and wastewater flows down a convenient slope and floods your cellar, this stops being wind damage and become water damage. This type of damage is not covered in the standard policy.

The home insurance quotes you get through this and similar sites give you a headline price for basic coverage. It's safer to read the policy before buying. If you feel your property is particularly at risk from certain types of weather damage, you should always check the extent of the cover. If you find the standard policy inadequate, you can add the cover. In some areas, there may be state funds to offer this cover, e.g. the federal government offers flood insurance and individual states help where risks are high as with the California Earthquake Authority. So never buy blindly. Adequate coverage is available. It may not be the cheap home insurance you were hoping for, but you will sleep better nights if you have more comprehensive cover.