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How do I prepare for a tornado warning?

 

A tornado warning usually comes with only one days warning. This means now is a good time to make sure both your home and your homeowners insurance are up to date. This post covers the steps to take to make sure you’re ready before the next tornado warning

Start by getting a rating on how good your insurance company is for claims handling, service and value. Just click the buttons below.

 

What should I do before I get a tornado warning?

Tornado season in the south is March through May. In the southern plains it’s May through June and along the gulf coast, March through June. Before you get your first tornado warning of the season, make sure both your home is ready. Just as importantly, make sure you have the right homeowners insurance company. Once a warning comes out, insurance companies will not allow you to open a new policy. Meaning, you’re stuck with what you had. No changes can be made once there’s a tornado warning until the storm passes.

Make sure you have good homeowners insurance. There are significant differences in how well insurance companies perform when it comes to paying claims. Know the behavior of yours. If the free rating you got above wasn’t good, just click the buttons below to find the best insurance companies in your state.

 

Steps to Take to Ensure You’re Prepared for a Tornado Warning

Make sure your home and property are prepared by taking the following steps:

  • If you live in an area that floods, have comprehensive insurance on your cars and flood insurance on your home.
  • Have a complete list of contents for your home. The list should include images and value estimates.
  • Know the condition of your roof. Does it have known problems that could cause it to leak during the next storm?

What to do if you Need Different Homeowners Insurance

There are a couple ways to find the best homeowners insurance. Shop with the companies named on the best insurance companies lists above. If contacting companies directly is more work than you want to put in, use the ValChoice service for finding an insurance agent local to you. Agents listed on ValChoice.com all represent some of the best insurance companies in the industry. In fact, we only allow agents to be represented on this site if they represent companies that qualify as award winning companies. To be an award winning company, the insurance company must have a ValChoice score of 68 or better in the most recent year.

ValChoice Score of 68

Click the button below to find agents that represent companies with a ValChoice score of 68 or better (the fuel-gauge-style image above represents a ValChoice score of 68. To achieve this score, insurance companies must have excellent claims handling.

 

Specific Items to Check on for Your Homeowners Insurance

Whether you get better insurance, or already have good insurance, be sure to know the following:

  • Wind damage. Does the homeowners insurance policy cover wind damage. Or, do wind damage claims require separate coverage?
  • Wind damage claims. How are wind damage claims paid?
    • When a. roof is damaged, is it repaired or replaced?
    • Does the insurance company pay claims in full or do they pay a depreciated amount?
  • Flood damage. Is separate insurance (a different policy) required?

Want to know a fair price for your insurance? Use the ValChoice insurance calculators below.

About ValChoice Ratings

ValChoice rates every car and home insurance company. Ratings are based on data filed with state departments of insurance. Data collection occurring by state insurance departments is important for two reasons: 1) The data is high quality. 2) ValChoice does not depend on data provided by insurance companies to rate them.

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