You’ve Had Storm Damage. What Does Your Insurance Cover?

Topline:

The good news: Standard homeowner, renter and commercial insurance policies typically cover wind and storm damage, such as damage from a roof that’s blown off or starts to leak, or from a tree that has fallen onto a property. That’s the good news, according to the California Department of Insurance.

The bad news: Standard policies typically do not cover damage from floods, mud or debris flow — the kind of storm damage seen in the worst-hit areas, like in the Coachella Valley or the San Bernardino Mountains. The exception is if these events are “directly or indirectly caused by a recent wildfire or another peril covered by the applicable insurance policy,” according to the state insurance department.

The department lists these standard policy exclusions: “... flood, earth movement, earthquake, landslide or mudflow, settling, cracking, shrinking, subsidence or sinkhole, erosion, sinking, rising, shifting, expanding or contracting of earth.”

There is such a thing as flood insurance — separate coverage that’s available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program. This does cover flood and mudflow damage, but not many people have it: Fewer than 2% of properties in California are covered under the FEMA program.

What to do: Call your insurance company or broker to clarify what damage is or is not covered under your policy. California’s insurance department has also posted a fact sheet with coverage basics and tips for other assistance. (For example, if the president declares a state of emergency, help may be available through FEMA or Small Business Administration.) Consumers with coverage questions are also encouraged to call the department at (800) 927-4357.

Go deeper:

• The California Department of Insurance has published this consumer alert; more information is on its website.
  
• Do you live in a flood zone? Check out this map.