Prepare for Hurricane Season

These 6 tips can help you plan ahead so you never have to face a storm unprepared.

1. Check your insurance coverage to make sure it reflects the current state of your home. Consider adding flood insurance and coverage for additional living expenses in case your home is uninhabitable after a storm.

2. Doing a home inventory can save you time and make filing a claim easier, ensuring you don’t forget anything. Document the contents of your home with a video camera or other home inventory tool. Keep receipts for valuable items and consider separate coverage for these things.

3. Protect your property by installing the following items in your home:

• Hurricane shutters or keep ¾ inch outdoor plywood boards for each window. If using boards, be sure to install anchors and pre-drill holes so you can put them up quickly.
• Head and foot bolts on doors for extra protection.
• Hurricane straps or clips to help hold the roof to the walls of your home.
• A safe room that can withstand high winds and flying debris.

Also, be sure to keep up with your landscaping; diseased and damaged tree limbs can become serious hazards in high-speed storm winds.

4. Stock your emergency supply kit with basic survival items. You’ll want to have a 2-week supply of water and ready-to-eat, non-perishable food for every family member and pet. If you evacuate, you’ll want a 3-day supply of the same. Other items to add to your supply kit include:

• Manual can opener
• Essential medicines including eyeglasses and contact lenses
• Personal hygiene items such as toilet paper, toothbrush and toothpaste
• Change of clothing
• Paper towels, hand sanitizer, and eating utensils
• First-aid kit
• Battery-powered flashlight and radio with extra batteries
• Blankets, pillows and sleeping bags
• Mosquito repellent and citronella candles
• 2 coolers—one for food, one for ice
• Plastic tarp for roof/window repairs and tools
• Special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members

5. Have an established evacuation plan to help reduce stress. If you don’t have transportation of your own, make arrangements now with friends or family members and don’t forget about the pets!

You want to make sure the whole family is covered, so identify an out-of-state contact that everyone will call if separated and establish a meeting location at least 50 miles inland.

Lastly, gather important papers to take with you:

• Driver’s license or personal ID
• Social security card
• Proof of residence (deed, lease or utility bills)
• Insurance policies (home, auto, flood, wind)
• Birth and marriage certificates
• Stocks, bond and other negotiable certificates
• Wills, deeds, and copies of recent tax returns
• Personal checkbook and any unpaid bills

6. Don’t take silly risks like running back into a home that’s been destroyed or refuse to evacuate when you’ve been ordered to, just to salvage material possessions. Things can be replaced, but people cannot.

For more information,

Please contact me,

Juan David Espinosa

www.es-insurance.com

What is the difference between "Sinkhole" and "Catastrophic Ground Collapse"?

Florida homeowner insurance restricts us from several coverage features.  One that can be quite confusing to several homeowners is the difference between  "Sinkhole" and "Catastrophic Ground Collapse".

Most homeowners polices in Florida exclude coverage for "sinkhole activity" however they provide you with the opportunity to request and endorse your policy to include such coverage for additional premium. 

However, All Florida homeowners policies do include coverage for "catastrophic ground collapse" which is defined below:

Catastrophic ground cover collapse” is defined as “geological activity that results in all of the following:

1). The abrupt collapse of the ground cover;

2). A depression in the ground cover clearly visible to the naked eye;

3). Structural damage to the building including the foundation; and

4). The insured structure being condemned and ordered to be vacated by the government agency authorized by law to issue such an orderfor that structure.”

This means that if your home is damaged by sinkhole activity, but does not meet all four criteria for catastrophic ground cover collapse – for instance, you may have foundation cracks, but the home is still livable – your insurance may not pay for the damage if you do not have sinkhole coverage

If you wish to request to include "sinkhole activity" you must contact your agent and/or insurance company to request a sinkhole inspection usually with in 45 days of the effective date.  There is a small fee for this inspection, typically less than $225.00 and the insurance company will usually split the cost.  However there is not a guarantee that coverage will be extended. You must receive a favorable inspection.

For more information contact us.

Juan D. Espinosa 
E&S Insurance

Difference between stacking and non-stacking in auto insurance?

What Is Auto Insurance Stacking?
Auto insurance stacking applies to combining coverage for under insured and uninsured motorist bodily injury if you have multiple cars. By combining coverage, you are able to substantially increase the payment limits of your auto insurance should you be involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist. For example, if you had $50,000/$100,000 coverage and decided to exercise the stacking option for a second car, stacked coverage for both cars would be $100,000/$200,000 (existing coverage times two cars). With three cars, the coverage would increase to $150,000/$250,000 and so forth for additional vehicles.

Unstacked Insurance
With multiple cars on a policy, you do not have to stack the coverage. As in the above example, each car would be covered at $50,000/$100,000 individually. No matter how many cars you have on the policy, the amount of coverage for each car stays the same. This will save you money in premiums, as stacking carries a heavier fee. However, if you were to try to increase the coverage level of each car to the amount the stacked coverage would be, you'd find it more expensive and more complicated than stacking.

For more information contact me,

Juan D. Espinosa

www.es-insurance.com

Does my car insurance cover my rental car?

Generally, coverage from your primary auto insurance will extend to a rental vehicle. If you cause an accident while driving the rental, your liability insurance would pay up to your policy limits for the damages to other cars or property.

Contact us for more information,

www.es-insurance.com

When is the last day to sign up for Obamacare?

Open Enrollment for Health Insurance

• 2016 Open enrollment in the Health insurance Market place started November 1st, 2015 and ends January 31st, 2016.

contact us

www.es-insurance.com

What Is a Wind Mitigation Inspection?

As a homeowner with windstorm insurance, state law entitles you to certain premium reductions, but without an inspection, you can’t get them! If you haven’t had a windstorm insurance inspection at your current home, you are PROBABLY PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR WINDSTORM INSURANCE!

During a wind mitigation inspection, a certified inspector reports on the key features that may decrease the amount of damage your home suffers during a hurricane or strong windstorm. These features fall into several categories, such as exterior construction type, roof shape and construction methods, age of roof covering, door and window opening protection as well as the actual year the home was built. Another factor may be the elevation of a property and how it relates to wind speed.

For more information, contact me.

www.es-insurance.com