Florida may be seeing its first direct hit by a hurricane in 10 years next week, and insurance professionals in the state should make sure their customers are ready.
Tropical Storm Erika is expected to strike South Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, according to a Bloomberg report.
On Wednesday, the storm was 285 miles east-southeast of Antigua moving west at 17 miles per hour, and had top wind speeds of 45 miles per hour. If it’s not weakened or destroyed by wind shear, Erika would be the first hurricane to hit Florida since 2005.
The advent of the storm should serve as a reminder for Florida homeowners to check their insurance policies, according to Viki Canava of Thomas Group Realty in Gainesville.
“Unless otherwise stated, your policy may not cover damage caused by flooding or strong winds, leaving you with a heft bill for repairs,” Caneva wrote on the company’s blog Wednesday.
“Make sure to take out your policy and look over it, as well as ask your insurance agent any questions you may have about the policy before the storm comes to town.”
So what else do your customers need to know?
According to Caneva, customers that need to upgrade their policy should do so immediately, since most carriers won’t write or update policies when a hurricane or tropical storm enters the so-called “hurricane box,” which stretches from Bermuda and the Dominican Republic up to Florida and North Carolina.
Customers should also check their policy and make sure their home is prepared for the storm to the standards of their insurance carrier, she wrote.
