This article was originally published in the Lynn Haven Ledger in February, 2016 after a tornado wreaked havoc in a small community a couple hours away. This was written as an insurance article.
Roof shingles fly through the air. Buildings collapse and windows shatter. Torrential rain soaks all your worldly possessions as you cower in fear, praying for the storm to pass.
An elderly man opens his front door in order to monitor the storm, and almost becomes a casualty.
An EF-3 tornado with peak winds of 152 MPH.
Your life just shifted, and you’re suddenly homeless.
This happened February 15, 2016:
“The some 40 families displaced after a devastating tornado in Century, Fla., will likely not receive FEMA assistance, according to Escambia County Emergency Management Agency Director John Dosh.
Dosh said while crews are still completing a total damage assessment, preliminary findings show about 30 houses were completely destroyed in the EF3 twister that ripped through the town Monday afternoon.
Dosh explained to FOX10 News the dire funding situation the victims will likely have to face.
‘Typically, a lot of it depends on the extent of the damage, how large of an impact area. I don’t anticipate seeing any federal assistance on this, I don’t think it was large enough to meet those thresholds, we’re going to have to work closely with the town of Century and the county to work through the process together, the recovery process, debris removal,’ explained Dosh. ‘Typically in this type of situation, the individual home owner, if they weren’t insured, it’s an uninsured loss, it’s on the homeowner. So it can be tragic and sometimes these types of things happen, and that’s why we rely a lot on the faith-based organizations.’ ”
(Excerpted from: http://meredith.worldnow.com/story/31238245/relief-aid-money-may-be-limited-for-century-tornado-victims)
Your homeowner’s insurance and renter’s insurance policies are designed to take care of you when a disaster of this magnitude happens. But, unfortunately, if you don’t have insurance, you’ll find yourself at the mercy of either FEMA or local governments or faith-based organizations.
Of course, everyone appreciates the help from these organizations, and those who actually give the help are among the finest individuals around.
BUT – you shouldn’t need the help, depending on what kind of insurance you have.
Most policies will provide you with immediate assistance for housing and food and clothing up to the policy limits while an assessment is made to determine the extent of damage.
I have reasoned with a lot of uninsured renters over the years who usually say something like this as their excuse for not having renter’s insurance: “Hey, my furniture isn’t worth very much! It’s all second hand. Most of it was given to me by family members or friends.” So, then, when you’re standing in the street vacantly gazing on what used to be your home and your second hand stuff is scattered all over town, do you think your friends and family will have more used stuff to hand over to you?
Wouldn’t you rather get an insurance check and go out and pick what you want? Much easier and helps to keep your relationships on solid ground too.
“I can’t afford it!” Most of the renter’s policies I write cost less than an extra large pizza – and that’s per month. So, yeah, chances are you can afford it.
My professional advice – If you have insurance, please review your policy and talk to your agent about what coverages you have.
If you don’t have insurance, for your own sake find an agent and talk to them about getting some.
You can’t prevent a tornado, but you can prevent the aftermath from destroying your life.