Living in a coastal community has many benefits that come with the ever-present threat of a hurricane causing significant damage to your property and community. However, homeowners can take steps to prepare their homes to withstand a storm. Investing in storm shutters, hurricane-proof exterior doors, impact-resistant glass and tempered-glass sliding doors can help protect your home and limit the damage from a major storm. Cutting back weak tree branches and sealing outside wall openings can protect your home further. Yet, nothing guarantees that property owners can protect their homes from a storm fully.
That’s why insurance is vital. While flood insurance often is the most discussed coverage around hurricane season, homeowners should consider the coverage in their standard policy. Most coastal homeowners policies cover damage from wind, but with a higher deductible if a hurricane windstorm swept through the region. Hurricanes are measured primarily by windspeed, and many insurance policies increase the deductible amount if the damage occurred as a result of hurricane or non-hurricane force wind.
Following a hurricane or windstorm, if a house needs a new roof, the deductible the homeowners would need to pay would be higher than their standard deductible with a special hurricane or windstorm deductible. The insurance policy still would cover the repairs, but the homeowners would be responsible for more of the cost.
It’s important to know what your policy means by a hurricane or windstorm. Some states have standardized trigger definitions, while other states leave it up to the individual insurance companies to determine how they will define when specific coverages are triggered.
Homeowners need to be prepared for this higher deductible, which should be included on your policies’ declarations page and usually is between 2% and 5% of the replacement cost of the house. This means that a house with a $500,000 replacement cost would likely have a hurricane windstorm deductible between $10,000 and $25,000—a significant increase from the flat standard deductible of about $1,000.
Your independent insurance agent can help you find a balance between the hurricane windstorm deductible amount and your monthly premium to ensure you have the protection for your home at the best price for your financial plans.
Matt McDonough is PIA Northeast's writer, editor and content curator. Matt joined PIA Northeast in September 2023. Before that, he had been an editor for the online entertainment magazine Collider from 2021-23 as a copy editor for its lists section. Matt entered the world of journalism at his alma mater, SUNY New Paltz, writing and reporting for the college's student run newspaper, The New Paltz Oracle. He graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Creative Writing in 2020.
