6 tips to prepare for a hurricane

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 repellant 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.

Contact me for more information
www.es-insurance.com

Hurricane Preparedness - Be Ready

Hurricane Preparedness - Be Ready Two keys to weather safety are to prepare for the risks and to act on those preparations when alerted by emergency officials. These are essential pieces to the Weather-Ready Nation. Refer to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Ready.gov/hurricanes for comprehensive information on hurricane preparedness at home and in your community. Some highlights on how to prepare and take action are available below: Gather Information Plan & Take Action Recover Resources Gather Information Know if you live in an evacuation area. Assess your risks and know your home's vulnerability to storm surge,flooding and wind. Understand National Weather Service forecast products and especially the meaning of NWSwatches and warnings. Contact your local National Weather Service office and local government/emergency management office. Find out what type of emergencies could occur and how you should respond. Contacts Keep a list of contact information for reference. Local Emergency Management Office County Law Enforcement County Public Safety Fire/Rescue State, County and City/Town Government Local Hospitals Local Utilities Local American Red Cross Local TV Stations Local Radio Stations Your Property Insurance Agent Risk Analysis Online hazard and vulnerability assessment tools are available to gather information about your risks. Check your hazards risks with FEMA's Map Portal. Rate your flood risk with the FloodSmart.gov portal. Plan & Take Action Everyone needs to be prepared for the unexpected. Your friends and family may not be together when disaster strikes. How will you find each other? Will you know if your children or parents are safe? You may have to evacuate or be confined to your home. What will you do if water, gas, electricity or phone services are shut off? Supplies Kit Put together a basic disaster supplies kit and consider storage locations for different situations. Help community members do the same. Emergency Plans Develop and document plans for your specific risks. Protect yourself and family with a Family Emergency Plan - [PDF] Be sure to plan for locations away from home Business owners and site locations should create Workplace Plans Make sure schools and daycares have School Emergency Plans Pet owners should have plans to care for their animals. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention offer information on animal health impacts in evacuation shelters. Prepare your boat and be aware of marine safety if you are on or near the water. Health & Environment Follow guidelines to guard your community's health and protect the environment during and after the storm. Review the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) health considerations before, during, and after a storm. Remember to follow the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) food and water safety guidelines during disasters. Review the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggestions for health and environmental safety in disaster preparedness. Evacuation Review the FEMA Evacuation Guidelines to allow for enough time to pack and inform friends and family if you need to leave your home. FOLLOW instructions issued by local officials. Leave immediately if ordered! Consider your protection options to decide whether to stay or evacuate your home if you are not ordered to evacuate. When waiting out a storm be careful, the danger may not be over yet... Be alert for: Tornadoes – they are often spawned by hurricanes. The calm "eye" of the storm – it may seem like the storm is over, but after the eye passes, the winds will change direction and quickly return to hurricane force. Recover Wait until an area is declared safe before returning home. Remember that recovering from a disaster is usually a gradual process. Contact me for more information www.es-insurance.com

When do I have to add my son to my auto insurance policy?

As soon as he or she gets his/her driver license.

Permit vs. license

Driving permits allow teens to drive, but under some restrictions: There must be a licensed driver in the vehicle and, in some states, teens with permits are confined to daytime driving only. In addition, a driver's permit generally expires after 60, 90 or 180 days.
Most states have some form of "graduated licensing" law, which phases in driving experience for younger drivers, allowing beginners to gain experience under lower-risk conditions first and then gradually increasing to more complex driving situations. In most states, the graduated period begins at age 15 or 16 and progresses to a full driver's license by the time the teens reach 17 years of age.
For graduated licensing details for your state, see State laws for teen drivers.
With a driver's license, on the other hand, teens can drive alone. Restrictions may include the type of vehicle and whether or not the driver must wear corrective lenses.
Some states allow insurance companies to require that you list a teen with a driving permit on your insurance policy. Many insurers generally do not charge insurance premiums for teens with driver's permits, opting to wait until they are licensed drivers, but you should still list them on your policy.
Insurance companies will look for a particular date — either your teen's 16th birthday or the date his or her learner's permit expires — to begin charging you for an additional driver. If your teen does not get his or her driver's license, notify your insurer so that your next car insurance bill isn't a shocker.
You should inform your insurance company when your teen attains a license. However, if you forget and your teen is involved in a crash, it's unlikely your insurer will deny your claim — assuming your teen obtained his or her license after the effective date of your policy. Still, your insurance company can charge you back premiums for your teen from the date he or she received a driver's license. But if your teen obtained his or her license before you renewed your policy and you failed to notify your insurer, the situation is less clear. Many jurisdictions could consider this a misrepresentation of a material fact and permit the insurer to deny coverage in the event of an accident. The safest course is to notify your insurer as soon as your teen starts to drive.

For more information please contact me.

Juan D. Espinosa
www.es-isnurance.com

Homeowner’s Guide to Elevation Certificates

An Elevation Certificate is an important tool that documents your building’s elevation. If you live in a high-risk flood zone, you should provide an Elevation Certificate to your insurance agent to obtain flood insurance and ensure that your premium accurately reflects your risk. Obtaining an Elevation Certificate also can help you make decisions about rebuilding and mitigation after a disaster. Comparing Your Building’s Elevation to a Potential Flood Level • Your insurance agent will use the Elevation Certificate to compare your building’s elevation to the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). • The base flood is a flood with a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year. The BFE identifies how high the water is likely to rise (also called water surface elevation) in a base flood. The land area of the base flood is called the Special Flood Hazard Area, floodplain, or high-risk zone. • Flood insurance rates in a high-risk zone (a zone beginning with the letter A or V) are based on a building’s elevation above, at, or below the BFE. Elevation and Flood Insurance Rates • Generally, in high-risk zones, the higher above the BFE a building is located, the lower the insurance premium will be for that property. The Elevation Certificate provides the documentation necessary to make that determination. • In moderate- to low-risk zones (zones beginning with letters B, C, or X), rates are not based on elevation, so an Elevation Certificate may not be necessary to determine the premium. If you need more information, contact me at: www.es-insurance.com

CHANGES TO FLOOD INSURANCE RATES

The National Flood Insurance Program is changing. The Biggert- Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) reauthorized the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and outlined reforms to make the program more sustainable, including the removal of long-standing subsidies. The first phase of rate increases (Section 100205) affects many policyholders who own homes built before the community adopted its first Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). Many of these policyholders historically have paid subsidized rates that do not reflect the property’s true risk. Follow my next blog to find out WHO PAYS SUBSIDIZED RATES?

Florida Tornado Damage Estimated at $5 Million

Seven homes were destroyed and more than 150 damaged by the tornado that struck a central Florida neighborhood Saturday, city officials said. The National Weather Service said the tornado had winds as high as 110 miles per hour and was 25 to 75-yards wide. Palm Coast city officials said 142 homes were partially damaged in the Indian Trails neighborhood and 22 homes had moderate damage. The damage was estimated at more than $5 million. No injuries were reported. The tornado knocked down power lines, power poles and trees; and many roads were impassable. At one point, nearly 3,000 homes were without power. But city officials said Sunday that power has been restored to most households, and roads have been reopened. The area is still filled with debris and city officials urged residents and gawkers to stay off the roads. The American Red Cross is providing food and shelter assistance. For more information please contact me. Juan D. Espinosa www.es-insurance.com

Happy Thanksgiving