Hurricane Season Prep 2019, Part 3: Documents

Hurricane Season Prep 2019, Part 3: Documents

If the coming hurricane season brings big storms to Florida, the best thing you can do now is prepare so you’re ready in case you are affected by a severe weather event.  This blog series from Olympus Insurance continues with a look at the paperwork you should have on hand in the event that your home and/or family experience a hurricane or flood event.

Homeowner Documents

All paperwork regarding the ownership of your home should be gathered together in one place, including:

• Deed to your home (or applicable mortgage paperwork)
• Home warranty papers, if applicable
• Property tax records

Making an extra copy of at least the cover pages with important account, deed, or tax numbers and laminating them can ensure you have some reference point in case of flooding or other water damage.

Insurance Documents

All paperwork concerning the insurance you carry on your home and property should also be collected:

• Your homeowners insurance policy (HO3) and any additional insurance such as endorsements
• Your flood insurance policy (HO3 policies do NOT cover flood, this is a separate policy)
• Any other insurance coverage papers, such as life, health, and auto insurance

If you don’t have flood insurance, now is the time to buy it – before hurricane season starts. Even though certain areas are listed as “high risk” for flood, the truth is that ALL of Florida is a flood zone; one out of five flood damage claims is in a “low risk” zone, and a third of federal disaster relief goes to homes in low risk areas.

Personal Documents

Every person in your home should have a swipe file with copies of all ID, health insurance cards, health history, prescription lists, and so on. It is important to have an updated home, work, and school address and phone number list, as well as an emergency contact list for both people in the area and those well outside the area. Include a copy of your evacuation routes and numbers for agencies in the area that could provide help in case of a disaster.

Home Inventory

A comprehensive home inventory can be invaluable in the case of a loss, by proving the ownership, value, and replacement costs of your personal property and other household items. Next week we’ll cover how to create a complete, detailed home inventory that includes every item in your home that is covered by your homeowners insurance policy, which can be accessed easily in case you ever need to file a claim.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not form a part of, replace, change or amend any terms, conditions, provisions or language within your Olympus Insurance policy. We encourage you to read your entire policy.