With the rash of snow storms, single digit and even well below-zero temperatures gripping the majority of the North East, its safe to say winter is here and it’s not going anyway anytime soon.
If you’re like me and live in the North East, all you need to do is open your front door—the rest of the country need only turn on the news to see the brutal cold and snow that has been hammering us for the last month. With these plunging temperatures and accumulating snow and ice, property insurance claims rise. With the below freezing temperatures we see an increase of pipe breaks and fires. As for the piling snow and ice, roof collapse and ice damming claims increase.
Each of these types of losses can be devastating to homeowners or businesses and each are relatively preventable. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s website, DisasterSafety.org, has a wealth of information including pamphlets and web pages on how to prevent these (and many other) types of claims:
- Freezing & Breaking Pipes: http://www.disastersafety.org/wp-content/uploads/Freezing-Bursting-Pipes_IBHS.pdf
- Weight of Ice & Snow: https://www.disastersafety.org/freezing_weather/four-steps-prevent-roof-damage-caused-heavy-snow-ice/
Maybe I sound like a broken record, but it’s always good advice to check your insurance policy regularly to insure that you are covered, and take the necessary precautionary measures to help prevent a disaster. If you do suffer a loss, contact your insurance carrier immediately to report the claim. Additionally, reach out to a public adjuster to help you properly adjust and resolve your claim.
As always, I’ll leave you with a (mildly) related tune, here’s Foreigner with Cold As Ice:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=eC99JhQq-3w%3Frel%3D0
