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Homeowner Insurance Coverages During Tornado Season

Unfortunately, tornado season has been a rough one this year. We have witnessed much devastation and couldn’t help but think, “I hope they had good homeowner insurance coverages”. This thought is not from a selfish standpoint, but rather a professional who knows the risks and can help people avoid total loss in the event of a covered peril.

The following video will explain how MJM Insurance of Fenton can help you. Don’t wait until insurance companies put a freeze on writing policies! Call Today (636) 343-5000

Missouri Home Insurance | Protection Before Tornado Season

February 15, 2016/0 Comments/in Homeowners Insurance, Insurance TIPS, Personal Insurance Resources /by Adam Majnerich

What’s in Your Policy? Do You Have The Right Coverages?

MJM Insurance of Fenton | Missouri Home Insurance | (636) 343-5000 First, let’s start with the safety factors for tornado season. We’re going to cover Missouri Home Insurance | Protection Before Tornado Season. While no home can ever be made “tornado-proof,” homeowners prepare for tornadoes ahead of time can improve the odds of their home surviving high winds by taking these precautions.

According to wikipedia, a tornado watch is issued when weather conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms that are capable of producing tornadoes. In most cases, the potential exists for large hail and/or damaging winds in addition to tornadoes.

A watch does not mean that the severe weather is actually occurring, only that atmospheric conditions have created a significant risk for it. If severe weather actually does occur, a tornado warning or severe thunderstorm warning would then be issued. Note that a watch is not required for a warning to be issued; tornado warnings are occasionally issued when a severe thunderstorm watch is active, or when no watches are in effect), if a severe thunderstorm develops and has a confirmed tornado or strong rotation.

Take these additional steps to protect yourself and your family:

Decide where your safe place is going to be. An interior room, basement or local shelter. When a tornado approaches, go there immediately. If you have no time to get to shelter, head to the center most part of your basement or home — away from windows and preferably under something sturdy like a workbench or staircase. The more walls between you and the outside, the better.
Become familiar with your community’s severe weather warning system and make certain every adult and teenager in your family knows what to do when a tornado watch or warning sounds.
Learn about your workplace’s disaster safety plans and similar measures at your children’s schools or day care centers.
Create a family plan in case you are able to move to a community shelter and identify escape routes from your home and neighborhood and designate an emergency meeting place for your family to reunite if you become separated.
Establish a contact point to communicate with concerned relatives. Keep in mind, when a tragedy hits a large geographical area, everyone is calling someone, or emergency departments from their cell phone.
Keep an emergency kit readily available. Include a three-day supply of drinking water and food you don’t have to refrigerate or cook; first aid supplies; a portable weather radio; a wrench and other basic tools; a flashlight (there are flashlights with a wind up power source versus the need for batteries. Consider extras like work gloves; portable lanterns; clothing; blankets; baby items.
Move anything in your yard that can become flying debris inside your house or garage before a storm strikes. Do this only if authorities have announced a tornado watch, however. If authorities have announced a tornado warning, leave it all alone.
Don’t open your windows. You won’t save the house, as once thought, and you may actually make things worse by giving wind and rain a chance to get inside.

A tornado can seriously impact many areas of your life – your home, your apartment, your car, your business! WE CARE!

MJM Insurance of Fenton | Missouri Home Insurance | (636) 343-5000 There are many ways to purchase Missouri Home Insurance. For homeowners to make sure they have the right protection in place, it is highly recommended to meet with a licensed insurance professional to review your policy. There are many choices in coverages, endorsements, discounts, and more. It can be a bit overwhelming, and our agents at MJM Insurance of Fenton can help.

Home Insurance policies in Missouri can be very different and the price of insurance varies based off the risk of the home, location, etc. If you can think of anything, realize that you’re not buying a commodity; you’re protecting your financial well being…and the choices you make could affect you for the rest of your life. After you read this post, check out our page for additional Missouri Home Insurance at Missouri Home Insurance Information.

Our motto is “Expect More. Receive More.” MJM Insurance of Fenton is a full service independent insurance agency representing many of Missouri’s premier personal and commercial insurance carriers. With a combined experience of over 70 years in the Missouri insurance industry, our agents are knowledgeable and competent specializing in, not only home insurance, but also auto, renters, boat, motorcycle, business automobile, workers compensation, and general liability. With our utilization of cutting edge automation, we’re able to provide superior service to our clients including A+ rated insurance products.

So, let’s get together and review your homeowners insurance policy to make sure you have sufficient coverage to rebuild your life and home after a tornado. Report any property damage to your insurance agent or company representative immediately after a natural disaster and make temporary repairs to prevent further damage. For information about filing an insurance claim after a natural disaster, contact MJM Insurance of Fenton.

Here are a few link for you to become prepared, protect your family – including your pets!

Tornado Home Protection Tips

Finding Refuge for Your Family

Emergency Pet Shelters

What to Do in High Winds

Meet the First Response Team

MJM Insurance of Fenton | Missouri Home Insurance | (636) 343-5000 Here in the USA, tornadoes have occurred in every month, so any time is a good time to review tornado safety procedures – for home, for school, for work, in the car, and while out and about. And if you are considering a storm shelter, take a look at Tornado Project Online to learn more about shelters.

If you don’t regularly watch or listen to the weather report, but strange clouds start moving in and the weather begins to look stormy, turn to your local radio/television station or visit www.weather.com to get the weather forecast.

Remember, if a tornado “watch” is issued for your area, it means that a tornado is “possible.” If a tornado “warning” is issued, it means that a tornado has actually been spotted, or is strongly indicated on radar, and it is time to go to a safe shelter immediately.

Call Us – We’re Here To Help!

Source: Institute for Business and Home Safety. IBHS is a national nonprofit initiative of the insurance industry to reduce deaths, injuries, property damage, economic losses and human suffering caused by natural disasters.

Missouri Home Insurance | Protection Before Tornado Season

Home Owners Tornado Preparation TIPS | Fenton Missouri

May 23, 2014/0 Comments/in Homeowners Insurance, Personal Insurance Resources /by Adam Majnerich

Follow these steps to protect you and your family.

Even if you live outside “Tornado Alley,” the area of the country that runs north from Texas through eastern Nebraska and northeast to Indiana, you are still vulnerable to tornadoes. Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas may see more of these unpredictable and dangerous storms than other states, but the rest of the country also gets its share of twisters.

When a tornado threatens

While no home can ever be made “tornado-proof,” homeowners prepare for tornadoes ahead of time can improve the odds of their home surviving high winds by taking these precautions. Take these additional steps to protect yourself and your family:

Have a designated shelter (a local community shelter, perhaps, or your own underground storm cellar or in-residence “safe” room). When a tornado approaches, go there immediately. If your home has no storm cellar or in-residence “safe” room and you have no time to get to a community shelter, head to the center most part of your basement or home — away from windows and preferably under something sturdy like a workbench or staircase. The more walls between you and the outside, the better.
Become familiar with your community’s severe weather warning system and make certain every adult and teenager in your family knows what to do when a tornado watch or warning sounds. Learn about your workplace’s disaster safety plans and similar measures at your children’s schools or day care centers.
Create a family plan in case you are able to move to a community shelter and identify escape routes from your home and neighborhood and designate an emergency meeting place for your family to reunite if you become separated. Also establish a contact point to communicate with concerned relatives.
Put together an emergency kit that includes a three-day supply of drinking water and food you don’t have to refrigerate or cook; first aid supplies; a portable NOAA weather radio; a wrench and other basic tools; a flashlight; work gloves; emergency cooking equipment; portable lanterns; fresh batteries for each piece of equipment; clothing; blankets; baby items; prescription medications; extra car and house keys; extra eyeglasses; credit cards and cash; important documents, including insurance policies.
Move anything in your yard that can become flying debris inside your house or garage before a storm strikes. Do this only if authorities have announced a tornado watch, however. If authorities have announced a tornado warning, leave it all alone.
Don’t open your windows. You won’t save the house, as once thought, and you may actually make things worse by giving wind and rain a chance to get inside.

Finally, review your homeowners insurance policy periodically with your MJM Insurance® of Fenton agent to make sure you have sufficient coverage to rebuild your life and home after a tornado. Report any property damage to your insurance agent or company representative immediately after a natural disaster and make temporary repairs to prevent further damage.

For information about filing an insurance claim after a natural disaster, contact MJM Insurance® of Fenton.

Source: Institute for Business and Home Safety. IBHS is a national nonprofit initiative of the insurance industry to reduce deaths, injuries, property damage, economic losses and human suffering caused by natural disasters.

Be Prepared: Tornado Home Protection Tips

Here in the USA, tornadoes have occurred in every month, so any time is a good time to review tornado safety procedures – for home, for school, for work, in the car, and while out and about. And if you are considering a storm shelter, take a look at Tornado Project Online to learn more about shelters.

Each year about a thousand tornadoes touch down in the US. Only a small percentage actually strike occupied buildings, but every year a number of people are killed or injured. The chances that a tornado will strike a building that you are in are very small, however, and you can greatly reduce the chance of injury by doing a few simple things.

One of the most important things Homeowners Prepare for Tornadoes do to prevent being injured in a tornado is to be ALERT to the onset of severe weather. Most deaths and injuries happen to people who are unaware and uninformed. Young children or the mentally challenged may not recognize a dangerous situation. The ill, elderly, or invalid may not be able to reach shelter in time. Those who ignore the weather because of indifference or overconfidence may not perceive the danger. Stay aware, and you will stay alive!

If you don’t regularly watch or listen to the weather report, but strange clouds start moving in and the weather begins to look stormy, turn to your local radio/television station or visit www.weather.com to get the weather forecast.

If a tornado “watch” is issued for your area, it means that a tornado is “possible.”

If a tornado “warning” is issued, it means that a tornado has actually been spotted, or is strongly indicated on radar, and it is time to go to a safe shelter immediately.

Be alert to what is happening outside as well. Here are some of the things that people describe when they tell about a tornado experience:

A green-greenish black color to the sky.
If there is a watch or warning posted, then the fall of hail should be considered as a real danger sign.
A strange quiet that occurs within or shortly after the thunderstorm.
Clouds moving by very fast, especially in a rotating pattern or converging toward one area of the sky.
The sound of a tornado has been compared to the sounds of railroad trains.
An obvious “funnel-shaped” cloud that is rotating, or debris such as branches or leaves being pulled upwards.

If you see a tornado and it is not moving to the right or to the left relative to trees or power poles in the distance, it may be moving towards you! Remember that although tornadoes usually move from southwest to northeast, they also move towards the east, the southeast, the north, and even northwest.

Encourage your family members to plan for their own safety in many different locations. It is important to make decisions about the safest places well BEFORE you ever have to go to them.

Is it likely that a tornado will strike your home or school? No. But being ready for the possibility will keep you safer!

Deaths and injuries from tornadoes have dropped dramatically in the past 50 years. Casualties numbers are holding steady as scientists learn more about tornadoes and develop the technologies that detect them sooner. Forecasters must continue to improve techniques because the population is increasing. The National Weather Service, Storm Prediction Center, and television and radio weather people have taken full advantage of the advancements in tornado prediction to improve warnings.

In addition, many people generously donate their time and expertise to help protect their neighbors and communities in another way — by tornado and severe storm “spotting.” “Spotters” combine an interest in the weather, a willingness to serve and often, ham radio experience to make tornado prone areas safer for all. Spotting can provide a focus to a person’s interest in the weather, and ham radio helps you meet other like-minded people. It is not often that something that starts out as a hobby can potentially do so much good. If you are interested in Skywarn training and becoming a spotter, check out the National Skywarn page.

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Related posts:

What’s in Your Policy? Do You Have The Right Coverages?

A tornado can seriously impact many areas of your life – your home, your apartment, your car, your business! WE CARE!

Call Us – We’re Here To Help!

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