With severe rain, snow, and wind conditions hitting Oregon and Washington, physical damage to homes, cars and businesses is likely. Fortunately, most insurance policies are designed to cover winter storm-related losses.

• Standard homeowners policies generally provide coverage for damage caused by wind, snow, severe cold and freezing rain. Melting snow that seeps into a home is also often covered by flood insurance, which is provided by FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. Additional living expenses (ALE), if included, would pay for reasonable expenses incurred by living elsewhere while a home is being repaired.
• Auto accidents caused by slippery road conditions are covered under most standard auto insurance policies. Damage to a car caused by winter conditions, such as falling ice or a collision with an object, is commonly covered by the optional comprehensive and collision portions of an auto policy.
• Business Insurance policies may provide coverage for property damage and losses to inventory. Business income insurance (also known as business interruption) is typically included in a Business Owners Policy (BOP) or a Commercial policy and generally provides for revenue lost due to closure, fixed expenses, such as rent and utility costs as well as expenses of operating from a temporary location.

Mother Nature is unpredictable, but insurance is not, Insurance is an important element in the recovery process that helps get people back into their homes and their businesses back up and running.

Winter storms were the second largest cause of insured U.S. catastrophe losses for the period of 2006–2015. Winter storms caused $1 billion in insured losses in 2016, up dramatically from just $38 million in 2012.

From 1996 to 2015 U.S. winter storms resulted in about $30 billion in insured catastrophe losses (in 2015 dollars), or about $1.5 billion a year on average, according to Property Claim Services (PCS).

Know what your insurance covers

At Fox Insurance Agency, we want to help you rest easy.You will be more relaxed when you know you have prepared your property to lessen the chance of winter storm damage. Check your Homeowners, Renters,Condominium, or other insurance policies to see what is covered and to confirm the deductible you have chosen.

If you have any questions at all about your coverage, call us, Fox Insurance Agency at 503-277-2300 and we will help you review your options.

The information in this article was obtained from various sources and is not all inclusive regarding the subject matter. This content is offered for educational purposes only and does not represent contractual agreements, nor is it intended to replace manuals or instructions provided by the manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional. The definitions, terms and coverage in a given policy may be different than those suggested here and such policy will be governed by the language contained therein. No warranty or appropriateness for a specific purpose is expressed or implied. Content provided by Insurance Information Institute.