Hoosiers are no strangers to Mother Nature’s icy punch. A bright and sunny day can change into a stormy one in a heartbeat. Fierce lightning, tornados and hail are often the norm during the spring and summer. In fact, according to the Insurance Information Institute, Indiana is in the top 10 states when it comes to hail loss claims.
Although you can’t control hail, you can mitigate the damage it can cause. Prepping your home and vehicles and having proper insurance coverage can turn a destructive hailstorm into a nuisance rather than an emergency.
Ensure Your Home and Vehicles
Most homeowner insurance policies cover hail damage to your home, but double-check to make sure yours does. For vehicle insurance, you need to ensure you have full coverage insurance to cover hail damage.
Insurance helps protect you from financial hardship caused by hail damage after it happens, but there are things you can do to prepare your home and vehicles before a hailstorm strikes.
Preventative Steps:
- Watch the weather: Sign up for weather alerts on your phone, so you stay up to date. If a storm or hail is in the forecast, take measures to keep everyone safe, as well as your home and vehicles.
- Protect your roof: Your roof is the most likely place to suffer from hail damage. Ensure your roof is in good condition. Leaks, cracks or missing shingles should be fixed immediately.
- Update windows and siding: If you are updating or installing skylights on your home, select impact-rated skylights, also known as large missile impact ratings. This will help protect skylights from hail damage. If it is time to update your siding, select a fiber-cement siding instead of vinyl or aluminum.
- Cover your car: Use your garage to protect your car – not only to store your stuff. Clear out cluttered garages so you can keep your vehicles under a roof. If you don’t have a garage, purchase a protective cover for your vehicles or park under natural coverage such as a sturdy tree. In a pinch, blankets can be used to protect vehicles from more severe hail damage.
Hail is part of life in Indiana, so it can’t be avoided. However, there are actions you can take to minimize the damage. If you need to update or check your insurance policies, reach out to an Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance agent at infarmbureau.com.
See more: Indiana Farm Bureau Health Plans Help Members Reduce Health Care Costs
It was interesting to me when you explained that a roof is the most likely place to suffer from hail damage. I would think that it would be a good idea to install some kind of reinforced shingle on the roof of your home. Installing reinforced shingles seems like a good way to prevent hail from causing major damage. https://disasteradjusting.com/hail-damage