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Whether you’re in an area affected by harsh winter storms or not, making sure you, and your insurance coverage are prepared to face a winter storm is essential to protecting your home.
Here are our tips for preparing for winter’s worst-case scenarios.
Preparing your home for winter storms
Review Your Home’s Coverage:
The insurance challenges many faced during and after the winter storm that Texas faced in 2021 stand as a cautionary tale. Whether it’s through hail, heavy snow on your roof, or dangerous winds, winter storms can cause damage to your home. If you haven’t already, now is the time to check your home’s coverage and ensure it can handle the catastrophic damage that winter storms can cause.
Check Your Roof
Make sure that you stay on top of your roof damage throughout the year to prepare for snow, fixing small damage will be much easier than fixing major snow damage down the road.
Take Care Of Your Pipes
Insulate your pipes and have the water running in a slow but steady stream during any major winter storm. Pipes freezing can cause cracks or breaks in your pipes leading to flooding and damage.
Watch for trees:
If your roof doesn’t collapse under heavy snow, surrounding dead trees can be a major issue when weighed down by snow or ice. Dead trees should be removed.
Overall keeping up with your home’s maintenance is the key to protecting your home in the colder months but double-checking that your insurance policy is current and up to date with the right coverage is an extra layer of protection when you need it most.
Checklist for when a winter storm is approaching
In the event that a storm is heading your way, here is a checklist of what to do. When a winter advisory, watch, or warning has been issued, check this list to make sure you and your family are ready.
- Once a winter storm advisory has been put into effect, keep a close eye on the weather and connect with friends and family to ensure you are all prepared for the storm ahead of time.
- Keep your phone charged.
- Make sure you have enough food and water for a few days. Don’t count on being able to use your tap or stove should the electricity go out.
- Lower your storm windows and replace screen doors with storm doors if your home has them.
- Fill your car’s gas tank and back your car into your parking space. If you have a cover for your car, now is the time to give your car some extra protection.
- If you do have a generator, make sure you have the gas you need to keep it running for a few days if needed.
- Make sure you have plenty of blankets and winter clothing available. Using the 2021 Winter Storm that impacted Texas as an example, having the right clothing and bedding to keep warm should your heat go out is very important.
- Purchase batteries and candles if you are not already stocked up. Also, make sure your flashlights are working.
- Run the heat in your house or business slightly higher than normal. While this isn’t great for your utility bills, it could literally save you if the power and heating go out.
If Winter Storm Disaster Strikes
If a tree does fall cutting your electricity or the pipes do burst and flood your kitchen, here is how to prepare to file a claim:
- Contact your insurance company: contact your insurance provider immediately after the damage occurs
- Create a log of the damage: create your own damage report, logging what time the event happened, how the damage occurred, what was damaged, and any other details you can remember.
- Review your inventory: with ZYYAH this step is made easy, using our vault feature during setup your home will already have video images and documentation of the value of everything in your home. Now is the time to make sure everything that was damaged during the incident is accounted for in your inventory.
- Gather repair estimates: connect with your trusted home service professionals to get repair estimates and recommendations on your repairs.
Have other tips or tricks for preparing for a winter storm? Share it in the comments.