High winds, power outages, and flying debris all place municipal buildings at risk in a storm, but administrators may not be able to recover the full cost of the damage. Attorney Bill Voss explores the dangers of wind damage to municipal buildings, including specialized insurance endorsements that can offer higher compensation for windstorms.
Policy Options That Can Make it Easier to Recoup Wind Damage Costs
Whether you run a local public school or oversee an entire city government, you will need to protect your entity’s buildings and industrial operations from inclement weather. Many private insurers will not cover wind damage for any properties along the Texas coast. In these cases, administrators may need to purchase a policy through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) to recover property damage losses.
If wind damage is covered under your commercial property insurance, you could secure payment for losses with the right endorsements to the policy, including:
- Building upgrades. City halls, libraries, and other municipal services are often housed in historical buildings, increasing the costs of repairs after a windstorm. Ordinance and law coverage can pay to bring the damaged portion of the property up to current building codes and local construction ordinances, while historical property insurance can pay to replace stained glass, chipped slate roofing, or aesthetic damage.
- Government vehicles. Windstorms can damage whole fleets of vehicles, including school buses, police cars, and emergency vehicles. A comprehensive auto policy can pay for new windows and repair bodywork to commercial and staff vehicles, as well as replace any broken equipment such as GPS devices or dispatch radios.
- Business income loss. Business income loss (also called business interruption) pays for ongoing employee payroll, expenses, and added costs for up to six months after a covered event. When added to extra expense coverage, the amount offered could be enough to cover the costs of opening a temporary location (such as a mobile library) or hiring temporary staff to assist residents after a disaster.
If you are struggling to rebuild after a severe wind storm, our attorneys can work to get full and fair payment from your commercial insurance carrier. Simply fill out the form on this page today to contact an insurance attorney at the Voss Law Firm or order a free copy of our book, Commercial Property Owners Must Read This BEFORE Filing an Insurance Claim.
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