On May 10, 2016 there was a severe thunderstorm near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The below photograph depicts hail streaks (hail falling to the ground) and is a stunning image that captures the destructive nature of these storms.1
‘Hail Alley’ is part of Colorado’s Front Range (and where I live) and receives the highest frequency of hail in North America.2 Colorado is ranked second for the number of insurance claims filed due to hail damage.3 Only Texas has more, likely because it is three times the size of Colorado (and everything is bigger in Texas, right? I know my hair was in college!). In the past three years, 182,591 hail-related claims were filed in Colorado.4
As we are now in peak storm season (April-August), this is a great time to review your policy. Make sure you have adequate coverage and that you understand any exclusions in your policy. Insurance policies are adhesion contracts, meaning they typically are not negotiated so if you don’t like the coverage being offered you should search for another company that provides the coverage you seek.
Flooding is prevalent in Colorado so you may need to purchase a separate policy for flood coverage. You should also document your possessions by going room to room. A suggestion is to video tape this and keep the tape off site or upload to the cloud in case of a loss.
If you find yourself in Hail Alley with a hail claim and need assistance, contact an experienced insurance professional to discuss your claim.
1 Stephen Pete Patterson/Facebook as depicted on The Weather Channel website.
2 Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association
3 National Insurance Crime Bureau
4 National Insurance Crime Bureau
