Hurricane season is time between early June and late November when many hurricanes are likely to take place. This period can introduce some modifications to the way insurance companies deal with
auto insurance. The peak hurricane activity is usually reported in September. The hurricanes that occur in that period are the most devastating and causing enormous damage. Can one prepare for these damages?
When preparing for the hurricane season you probably don't think about your car insurance policy much. But you really should spend some time reading your policy to know more about the damages and amounts you are covered with by your insurance company. Knowing what exactly your policy provides can save you both time and money when disaster strikes.
Make sure you understand perfectly what is and what is not covered by your policy before there's any risk to your vehicle. If you are not sure about something, contact your insurer to learn all the details.
If you want to prepare your car physically to the hurricane, you can start with parking it in a garage rather than leaving it outside. Or make sure it isn't located near any trees and poles.
The type of insurance coverage that is usually applied during hurricanes is comprehensive coverage. Comprehensive coverage pays for damages resulting from floods, fires, rain and other natural disasters or off-road accidents. You can also consider gap coverage and rental reimbursement when looking for protection during the hurricane season. In case your car is destroyed during a hurricane, gap coverage uses the difference between the debt on your loan and the actual value of your car for covering the damage. In case your car is only damaged and can be repaired, rental reimbursement coverage covers the costs of car while your own vehicle is being fixed.
Looking for car insurance or trying to add additional types of coverage right before the disaster is expected to take place is not such a good idea. Apart from significantly increased rates, most insurance companies simply won't sell you insurance at all if they know there'll be a natural disaster anytime soon. That is because insurance doesn't work only when there's potential risk, the policy is active all the time. Also take note that in most cases some types of coverage don't take effect immediately. For example, there's a 30 day period imposed by federal government from the moment of buying flood insurance and its actual active period start.
If you don't have additional types of insurance coverage while living or visiting an area with frequent natural disasters, your insurance company is likely to not sell you any insurance or modify your existing policy until the hurricane is over. So don't wait until the last moment to make the necessary changes. And keep in mind that this also applies to other types of insurance such as homeowners insurance. The earlier you get prepared to natural disasters, the lower your premiums will be. And don't expect to get
cheap auto insurance during the hurricane season, you're likely to be left without any insurance at all.
