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Spring is both a delight and a hazard. We tend to be mesmerized by the delight and forget the real hazard that the season brings to us as homeowners. In those clear blue and warm skies loom strong winds and violent storms that will peel the shingles right off a roof and send streams rushing into a foyer.
The storm activity is a result of the transformation of the air and earth from cool and cold to warm and hot. Clashing temperatures and wind currents produce the storms that light up the sky and drench the ground. Usually they are not violent enough to worry about, but the potential is there for, depending upon where you live, tornados or strong straight winds, hail, lightning, and unusual concentrations of rain.
So what can a homeowner do in response to an unsettled Mother Nature? Some home insurance tips for spring weather include the following:
1) Brace for high winds. Obviously, the winds can’t be avoided when they come rushing in, but properties can be prepared for their arrival. Dead trees or trees with dead limbs next to a house are prime candidates to fall against the house in a spring blow. Remove the dead limbs or take down the tree. Also, if some shingles are already loose or otherwise suspect, replace them before a wind rips up them and adjoining shingles.
2) Any drainage ditches or culverts near the house that need cleaning out should be tended to before spring thaws or spring rains. The waterways might be good enough to divert minor winter moisture events, but are unable to contain runoff of stronger storms in the warmer weather. Pay attention to the levels of water in area streams; seeing a flood in the making is good information for a homeowner. If a sump pump is part of a home’s defenses, make sure it is operable.
3) Review home insurance policies so that certainty is there that a home is covered against the storms of the season. If flooding is a genuine possibility for a home, make sure a flood provision is a part of a policy or that a separate flood insurance policy is in force.
Spring is a beautiful time of year, but it can be a tragic one for a homeowner who doesn’t heed home insurance tips for spring weather.
by Morgan Moran
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