Natural Disaster Coverage

What type of natural disasters are covered?

Most homeowners policies cover all disasters listed below. Some policies provide coverage only for the first 10 listed. Check your insurance policies for the "perils" covered.


 
Dwelling & personal property
Dwelling
Personal
property
Dwelling & personal property

Perils		 Basic HO-1*+ Broad HO-2* Special HO-3* Special HO-3 Renters HO-4 Condo/
Co-op HO-6		 Modified Coverage HO-8
1. Fire or lightning x x x x x x x
2. Windstorm or hail x x x x x x x
3. Explosion x x x x x x x
4. Riot or civil commotion x x x x x x x
5. Damage caused by aircraft x x x x x x x
6. Damage caused by vehicles x x x x x x x
7. Smoke x x x x x x x
8. Vandalism or malicious mischief x x x x x x x
9. Theft x x x x x x x
10. Volcanic eruption x x x x x x x
11. Falling object   x x x x x  
12. Weight of ice, snow or sleet   x x x x x  
13.  Accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam from within a plumbing, heating, air conditioning, or automatic fire-protective sprinkler system, or from a household appliance.   x x x x x  
14. Sudden and accidental tearing apart, cracking, burning, or bulging of a steam or hot water heating system, an air conditioning or automatic fire-protective system.   x x x x x  
15. Freezing of a plumbing, heating, air conditioning or automatic, fire-protective sprinkler system, or of a household appliance.   x x x x x  
16. Sudden and accidental damage from artificially generated electrical current (does not include loss  to a tube, transistor or similar electronic component)   x x x x x  
All perils except flood, earthquake, war, nuclear accident, landslide, mudslide, sinkhole and others specified in your policy. Check your policy for a complete list of perils excluded.     x        

* HO-1, HO-2 and HO-3 refer to standard Homeowners Policies.

+HO-1 has been discontinued in most states.

Disasters not covered

  1. Floods

    You can purchase flood coverage directly from your homeowners insurance agent. However, the policy is provided by the Federal Flood Insurance Program (888-379-9531, www.floodsmart.gov).

    You can get replacement cost coverage for the structure of your home, but only actual cash value coverage is available for your possessions. There may also be limits on coverage for furniture and other possessions stored in your basement.

    Flood insurance is available for renters as well as homeowners. You will need flood insurance if you live in a designated flood zone. But also consider buying it if your house could be flooded by melting snow, an overflowing creek or water running down a steep hill. Don’t wait until the evening news announces a flood season warning to buy a policy. There is a 30-day waiting period before coverage takes effect.

  2. Earthquakes

    Earthquake coverage can be a separate policy or an endorsement to your homeowners or renters policy. It available from most insurance companies. In California, it is also available from the California Earthquake Authority (www.earthquakeauthority.com/). In earthquake prone states like California, the policy comes with a high deductible.

  3. Maintenance damage

    It is your responsibility to take reasonable precautions to protect your home from damage. Your insurance policy will not cover damage due to lack of maintenance, mold, termite infestation and infestation from other pests.

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