Read more: Local, South Carolina Insurance News Service, High Wind, Damage, Homeowners Policies
The South Carolina Insurance News Service is offering tips on how to prevent damage in a storm and how to respond if it happens.
Here's their advice:
1. Stay inside until the high winds have passed. If you have time, move cars inside a garage or carport and move lawn furniture and yard equipment inside.
2. When it is safe to go outside, be sure to check for downed power lines. Notify the power company if you find lines down.
3. If you have damage, make a photograph or video, then make temporary repairs to prevent further losses. For example, put a tarp over a damaged section of roof. Keep all receipts for material used.
4. Notify your insurance agent or company of damage as soon as possible and make sure they know how to contact you if you are not at home. Have your policy number on hand.
5. Do not dispose of damaged personal property until an insurance adjuster has had the opportunity to look at it.
6. If a tree has fallen and hit an insured structure, you should file a claim with your insurance company. Standard homeowners policies cover the damage the tree does to the structure and the contents in it.
7. If a tree hits an insured structure, there is generally coverage for the cost of removing the tree. However, if the fallen tree did not hit an insured structure, there is usually no coverage for removing the debris. Some insurance companies may pay for the cost of removing it if it blocks a driveway or a ramp for a handicapped person.
8. A car damaged by a falling tree is covered under the comprehensive section of the auto insurance policy.
For more information on settling insurance claims after a storm or for a free software package to take a home inventory, go to www.scinsurance.net.
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