As we are in the middle of hurricane
season, it's important to take the necessary precautions to ensure your family is safe. Make sure you have a plan in place and are prepared for any potential emergencies. Learn more about how to prepare for a Texas hurricane and what to do if one hits your area. By being prepared, you can minimize the risk of injuries or damage to your home. It is also important to stay financially prepared during hurricane season. Our attorneys at The Voss Law Firm provide tips on how to be proactive this hurricane season.
Stay Financially Prepared for Hurricane Season
As the summer season gets underway, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an above-normal hurricane season for 2022. While we can't control the weather, there are some things we can do to financially prepare for the possibility of inclement weather. Here are some tips to create a financial preparedness kit:
Maintain an Emergency Fund
Keeping three to six months of savings
that you can access quickly can be invaluable during a natural disaster. This will ensure that you have the resources you need to rebuild and recover. Also, consider keeping a few hundred dollars in cash on hand in case your area loses power or ATMs are out of commission. This way, you'll have the cash you need to buy food, water, and other supplies. By being prepared financially, you'll be able to weather any storm.
Protect Your Credit
In addition to keeping cash on hand
and having a plan for how to access your bank account if you can't get to a branch, it's also important to keep the contact information for your creditors in your kit. If you have to evacuate your home, reach out to creditors as soon as possible to request a temporary reprieve from payments. While creditors are not required to grant a request for a payment deferral, many are willing to work with customers who are experiencing hardship due to an evacuation. By keeping the contact information for your creditors in your financial preparedness kit, you can ensure that you're able to reach out and make a request if you need to.
Review Your Insurance
Your insurance policies can help you recover
financially from a disaster, provided you have the right coverage. Review your property, flood, life, and disability insurance policies once a year when you receive the new documents from your insurer. Make sure that you understand the coverage and that it still meets your needs. You may need to adjust your coverage as your life changes or as the risk of a particular type of disaster changes in your area. If you don't have adequate coverage, now is the time to get it. Don't wait until a disaster strikes to find out that you're not properly protected.
Gather Key Documents
Birth and marriage certificates, passports, wills,
deeds, tax returns, insurance policies, and stock and bond certificates are all important records that should be kept in a safe place. These records are often needed for tax and insurance purposes. Keeping them in a safe place will help to ensure that they are not lost or damaged. An external hard drive is a good option for storing these records. External hard drives are typically more durable than standard storage devices, and they can be password protected for added security.
Take Inventory of Your Possessions
In the event of a natural disaster, it is important
to have a record of your possessions. This will help insurance companies process your claim in a timely manner. To create a record, you can make a list or use a smartphone or camera to take pictures or video of your belongings. Be sure to include items such as cars, boats, and recreational vehicles. Once you have created your record, store it in a safe place where it will not be damaged by the disaster. This will ensure that you have the information you need to get your life back on track.
Need Help Resolving a Claim?
If you have suffered damage or loss after a flood in your Texas home and are being treated unfairly by the insurance company, contact an experienced insurance claim attorney to protect your legal rights and help maximize your claim. To learn more, contact The Voss Law Firm, P.C. for a free consultation by using our contact form or by calling our office at 888-614-7730. The Voss Law Firm, P.C. has been protecting policyholder’s rights for the past sixteen years, recovering billions of dollars in settlements for our clients. We do not charge a fee unless we win your case.
