With the official start of winter just days away, homeowners will need to confront the possibility of damage to their home and property due to harsh weather. In fact, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I), in the first half of 2021, winter weather caused $15.1 billion in insured losses, due primarily to the February freeze that impacted a number of states.
To protect your home during the winter months, Triple-I offers the following suggestions:
Inside Your Home
- Keep your home heated to a minimum of 65 degrees Fahrenheit. This will help prevent pipes inside the walls from freezing.
- Open hot and cold faucets enough to let them drip. Keeping water moving within the pipes will help prevent freezing.
- Check that fireplaces, wood stoves and electric heaters are working properly. Make sure there are no combustible items near heat sources.
- Keep your fireplace flue closed when it is not in use to prevent heat from escaping up through the chimney.
Outside Your Home
The weight of snow and ice can damage a roof. Clogged gutters might allow water to seep into a house. Taking these steps should prevent potential hazards from occurring outside a home as snow and ice accumulate:
- Keep sidewalks and entrances free from snow and ice so no one sustains an injury while walking.
- Watch for ice dams near gutter downspouts. Ice dams can cause water to build up and seep into a house.
- Clear gutters of leaves and debris to allow runoff from melting snow and ice to flow freely.
- Check for dead, damaged or dangerous tree branches and have them removed. When stressed, branches can fall and damage a house or car, or injure a pedestrian.
Insurance Coverage for Winter Losses
According to Triple-I, standard homeowners insurance provides coverage for damage to property caused by wind, snow, severe cold and freezing rain. Property damage caused by flooding is not covered by either standard homeowners or renters insurance policies.
Melting snow that seeps into a home, apartment or condominium from the ground up would be covered by flood insurance. It is provided by FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program and several private insurers.
To file an insurance claim for winter weather damage to a home or automobile, an individual should contact their insurance professional. They will want to know the extent of the damage and ask the individual to document the loss with lists, receipts and photographs. Having a home inventory is a good way to prepare for potential losses.
