The most common natural disasters in Connecticut are hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, winter storms, and floods. While damage from several of these perils is covered by standard homeowners insurance, flood damage is not.
Just because you have home insurance, don’t assume that you will be protected in the event of a natural disaster. Standard insurance protects against a very limited range of disasters. While many of the disasters you’ll face in Connecticut are covered, there are likely some gaps in your coverage. It’s extremely important to know what your policy covers and what it does not.
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What is homeowners insurance—and what does it cover?
Homeowners insurance covers damages to, in, or involving your house, and it includes loss of use coverage, liability coverage, and medical payments coverage for visitors injured on your property. However, the amount of coverage may differ depending on what peril caused the damage and what coverages your policy includes.
Levels of homeowners insurance coverage
HO-1: Level 1 offers the lowest amount of coverage. It provides dwelling coverage for the primary structure and does not include personal property, ALE, or liability coverage. HO-1 also only protects you if the damage is from a limited list of named perils.
HO-2: Level 2 includes coverage for your primary structure and personal property. However, your property is only protected if damages are due to named perils.
HO-3: Level 3 is the most common type of homeowner’s insurance. It includes dwelling coverage, other structures coverage, personal property coverage, ALE coverage, liability coverage, and medical payments coverage.
HO-3 insurance is open perils policy and sometimes referred to as “all-risk” coverage. It covers damages to your structure (not personal property) from most perils, not just named ones. However, most HO-3 policies have exclusions for specific perils they do not cover.
HO-5: Like an HO-3 policy, Level 5 is open perils protection, but it goes further to include your personal property as well.
Having trouble wrapping your head around all of this? Let’s take a look at a simple breakdown.
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| Main structure, personal property, loss of use, liability, medical payments | |
| Main structure, personal property, loss of use, liability, medical payments | Main structure - open perils, personal property - listed perils only |
| Main structure, personal property, loss of use, liability, medical payments | |
Perils
Most homeowners insurance only pays for damages that were caused by a named peril, meaning a peril that is specifically listed in your policy. These will be different for every policy, but generally speaking, most home insurance policies cover at least the following perils:
Damage caused by vehicles
Damage caused by aircraft
Theft or malicious mischief
Falling objects (not usually covered by HO-1)
Weight of snow, ice, or sleet (not usually covered by HO-1)
Water overflow or discharge from plumbing (not usually covered by HO-1)
Water heater cracking (not usually covered by HO-1)
Damage from electrical current (not usually covered by HO-1)
Frozen pipes (not usually covered by HO-1)
It’s important to recognize what isn’t on that list. People often assume floods and earthquakes are covered by homeowners insurance, but they are not—which is a problem, since these are two of the most common natural disasters in the US.
MORE: The 16 perils of home insurance
Does home insurance cover natural disasters in Connecticut?
Standard home insurance will cover damages from some natural disasters in Connecticut, but not all. The most common types of natural disasters in Connecticut are hurricanes, severe storms, winter storms, and floods.
Connecticut will sometimes also be hit by wildfires, tornadoes, and earthquakes, but these are less common. Let’s take a look at which disasters in Connecticut will be covered by homeowners insurance.
Floods
Floods are one of the biggest concerns for Connecticut homeowners. While floods are not as common as hurricanes or winter storms, they can be far more problematic, and they are often caused by other natural disasters. The real problem, though, is that no standard insurance policy will cover flood damage.
If you believe that your home may be at risk for flooding, you’ll need to purchase flood insurance separately from your normal policy. Some private companies offer stand-alone flood insurance, but it is usually expensive. The most affordable option is usually to purchase coverage from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
MORE: Does home insurance cover flooded basements?
Hurricanes
Hurricanes are not specially covered by home insurance, but you can usually put in a claim for hurricane damages based on wind damage. Windstorm damage is covered by most home insurance. However, f the hurricane causes flooding, that damage would not be covered.
MORE: Does car insurance cover hurricane damage?
Winter storms
Winter storms are one of the most common natural disasters in Connecticut. Fortunately, most damages related to winter storms are covered by home insurance. As long as your policy is level HO-2 or better, you’ll be covered for damage from the weight of ice and snow, hail, sleet, and frozen pipes.
Severe Thunderstorms
Severe thunderstorms can cause wind damage and lightning damage. Both of these are covered by standard home insurance. Other related damages, such as fallen tree branches, will also be covered by most policies.
Once again, if the thunderstorm causes flood damage, it will not be covered.
How to file a home insurance claim
Once you know if your damages are covered, it’s time to file your claim. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Document your losses and make a list of all damages.
Contact your insurance company. Inform your insurer that you will be submitting a claim.
Determine your total losses. As accurately as possible, calculate the total extent of the damage including all covered assets.
File your claim. Your adjuster will supply you with the appropriate paperwork. Fill it out and return it.
Meet with the adjuster. The adjuster will assess the extent of the damage.
Get repair estimates. Have a contractor give you a quote for the cost of repairs.
Negotiate. Once they’ve reviewed your claim, the insurance company will contact you to settle on a payment amount.
How to save money on homeowners and car insurance
If you’re just finding out that you’ll need additional home insurance, you’re probably looking for ways to save some money on your existing coverage. One of the best ways to do this is by bundling your home and auto insurance together.
You’ll also want to thoroughly compare the premium you are paying with rates from other providers. This can be a bit of a hassle since getting a quote from even one insurance company can be time-consuming and require a lot of paperwork.
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