Be Prepared! Storm Safety

September is National Preparedness Month and the 30th is National Prepareathon Day! Join FEMA and their quest to have our nation prepared for national disasters. The more we know, the better prepared we will be. In Massachusetts we have been voted as one the top 5 states to have a national disaster. So begin getting ready for a big storm now!

storm sure

Preparation is the best way to be ready for a dangerous storm. Have a few flashlights with extra batteries, your cell phone with the charger, a battery powered radio. Keep all of your personal documents in a fire proof box in a readily accessible area. Make sure you have plenty of non-perishable food items, such as canned food, bread, peanut butter, crackers and lots of water. The American Red Cross suggests having 1 gallon of water per person per day. A first aid kit is essential. Find out exactly what to put in a first aid kit.

During a storm make sure to unplug sensitive electrical items such as computers and TV and microwaves (if these are possible to do easily). By disconnecting them you will prevent a power surge when the power comes back on, if you have lost power during the storm and do not have surge protectors. Keep your refrigerator and freezer closed. If you lose power your food will stay colder for a longer period of time, if they are not opened. If the winds are very strong stay away from windows as debris can come flying through. The basement is the best area of the house to stay in during particularly dangerous storms, such as tornadoes and hurricanes.

If the power goes out and you plan to use a generator, please follow specific safety instructions.

When surveying outside damage after a storm, always treat downed power lines a live and never touch them! Call your electrical company immediately. Contact your town/city for help with trees that are down in community areas, such as the street and on power lines. If your home has flooding, contact your electrician on what to do about before turning things on in the basement or area that was flooded. If your electricity is off for an extended amount of time bring your family to another family or friend’s house. Make sure everyone is safe.

After the storm call us with any damage that has occurred to your home or auto. Remember that flood and earthquake damage are not covered by your homeowners policy unless you add the respective endorsement/policy. Read our blog about what type of storm damage is covered by your policy, 

Information on storm safety is from the National Grid.

Ordinance or Law Coverage, Why You Need It

On the basic Commercial Property Insurance Policy there is coverage for replacement cost value in the event of a loss. Most business owners assume that this will cover them if something occurs to their building/property. It will definitely cover the damaged part of the building, but many town ordinances state that if the building is damaged beyond a certain percentage the entire building has to be taken down. The basic commercial property policy does not cover the undamaged part of the building to be demolished or rebuilt. This is an enormous cost.

It is essential to add the Ordinance or Law Coverage endorsement to your commercial property policy to protect against having to pay out of pocket to take down and rebuild. It is important to remember when rebuilding that all new building codes have to be followed. New building codes may include updated electrical, sprinklers, elevators, etc. which are very costly.

shopping mallHere is a good example of how a 50% loss from a fire could devastate a business owner if they do NOT purchase the Ordinance or Law Coverage. The building has a Replacement Cost of $1M and the fire causes damage to 50% of it in the amount of $500K. If the demolition and debris removal is $100K, the new up to code sprinkler system is $50K and a new by code elevator is now required which would be an additional $100K. The town building ordinance requires that the entire building be torn down when 50% or more is damaged. This brings the total for the loss to $1,250,000 where the basic property coverage will only pay $510K. That means the business owner has to pay $740K out of pocket!

The basic policy will only pay $510K for the loss when the actual cost to replace the entire building is $1M. The extra $10K payment is from the Increased Cost of Construction portion of the policy that states that there is Limited Coverage and the company will pay the lesser of $10K maximum or 5% of the buildings value. This Limited Coverage of Ordinance or Law is not enough to pay for an entire second half of a building to be demolished and then rebuilt.

The Ordinance or Law Coverage endorsement will let you schedule the specific costs for your building to replace the undamaged portion in Coverage A, the demolition cost in coverage B and the increased cost of construction in Coverage C. This endorsement is so important for both old and new buildings. Please call us with any questions regarding this endorsement or any of your insurance needs. mancuso-nowak.com

Safety Before, During And After A Storm

This past weekend there was a tornado in Worcester. The previous tornado was over 60 years ago in 1953 and was a category F4. Even though Sunday night’s tornado was only a category F0, there was still damage and power outages. Brushing up on what to do before, during and after a storm to keep safe is always a good idea.

9-2-14-tornadoPreparation is the best way to be ready for a dangerous storm. Have a few flashlights with extra batteries, your cell phone with the charger, a battery powered radio. Keep all of your personal documents in a fire proof box in a readily accessible area. Make sure you have plenty of non-perishable food items, such as canned food, bread, peanut butter, crackers and lots of water. The American Red Cross suggests having 1 gallon of water per person per day. A first aid kit is essential. Find out exactly what to put in a first aid kit.

During a storm make sure to unplug sensitive electrical items such as computers and TV and microwaves (if these are possible to do easily). By disconnecting them you will prevent a power surge when the power comes back on, if you have lost power during the storm and do not have surge protectors. Keep your refrigerator and freezer closed. If you lose power your food will stay colder for a longer period of time, if they are not opened. If the winds are very strong stay away from windows as debris can come flying through. The basement is the best area of the house to stay in during particularly dangerous storms, such as tornadoes and hurricanes.

If the power goes out and you plan to use a generator, please follow specific safety instructions.

When surveying outside damage after a storm, always treat downed power lines a live and never touch them! Call your electrical company immediately. Contact your town/city for help with trees that are down in community areas, such as the street and on power lines. If your home has flooding, contact your electrician on what to do about before turning things on in the basement/flooded area. If your electricity is off for an extended amount of time bring your family to another family or friend’s house. Make sure everyone is safe.

Information on storm safety is from the National Grid website.

Picture is from tornado on Sunday near Worcester Academy