Homeowners Insurance And Fire Claims
Many parts of the country are digging themselves out of massive snow storms, but in Florida they are in the middle of the Florida dry season. This is when Florida homeowners need to consider the risk of fire claims. Dry weather, plenty of vegetation and lightning storms make for a volatile situation. In fact, there are nine wildfires across Florida this week. Wildfires are not the only risk. The decreased rainfall means that our perfectly manicured lawns are turning from lush green to yellow and brown. This puts our homes at risk of total loss insurance claims from fire. Like all disasters, the best thing you can do is plan ahead and mitigate risk. Grass fires are no exception. Here is what you can do to prevent fire claims and make sure you are all set with your homeowners insurance.
Homeowners Insurance and Fire Season in Florida
The dry season and fire season are the same thing in Florida. The dry season takes place between October and April. There is an even greater risk in some parts of the state, however, including the area around Pensacola. Many parts of the state have been experiencing severe drought conditions. This means we are at greater risk of wildfires and home fires.
Wildfires and home fires can be started through either natural causes or negligence. The most common natural cause of fires in Florida is lightning. Nationally, nearly 23,000 fires a year are started by lightning strikes and about 19% of those are residences. All it takes is one lightning strike to ignite dry grass to start a fire. Then, all of a sudden lives and property are in danger from a rapidly growing fire. Furthermore, active hurricane seasons can increase the fire risk. Hurricanes knock down branches, trees, and throw debris around for miles. As the rains slow down during the dry season, all of this debris dries and turns into excellent tinder for potential fires.
Preventing Fire Claims with Lawn Care
The best way to prevent yourself from going through the trauma of a total loss fire is to make your home less susceptible. There are a few simple things that you can do to protect your home and the people you love.
Maintain Your Lawn Regularly
I understand that your grass is no longer lush and green, but it is more important than ever to mow your lawn. Dry grass is a fire danger, especially if it is long. Take the time to trim it low and then dispose of the grass away from any structures.
Regularly Clean Pine Needles
Pine needles are a particularly big fire risk. Dry pine needles are the perfect tinder to start a fire. They are the right size and pile loosely on top of each other, which allows for maximum airflow. To make matters worse, they are filled with pine resin, which is particularly flammable. Rake up pine needles as they fall and dispose of them away from any structures.
Pick Plants Carefully
Florida has a lot of amazing plantlife. Unfortunately, a lot of them are very flammable. Some of the plants you should worry about include saw palmetto, wax myrtle, yaupon holly, red cedar, and gallberry. Try to keep these plants at least 30 feet away from any structures.
Keep Shrubs and Trees Trimmed
Tall trees are not large fire risks in and of themselves; however, they can become fire risks if they are not properly maintained. This is especially true of pine trees because of the pine tar. Trim the lower branches on any of your large trees up to about 10 feet from the ground. If there are any vines growing up the trunk you should remove them. It is also important to remove any shrubs at the base of these trees. Large trees are fairly impervious to fires, but if you give fire a way to climb up the trees, then they can become a hazard.
Final Thoughts
Protecting yourself from a total loss insurance claim due to a fire is not only about preventing fires. It is also about making sure your homeowners insurance coverage is complete. A couple of quick things to think about when making sure your homeowners insurance can handle a total loss fire. First, make sure your home is insured for its current value. House prices have increased across the United States this year, so you want to make sure that your insurance claim covers it. Second, make sure you have an itemized list of all items in your home that you would want replaced. Even better, do a video walk through of your house to document all of the items. Third, make sure additional structures, such as sheds and fences are included in your homeowners policy.
This is not a complete list of things you need to make sure are covered in your insurance policy to be ready for a total loss fire claim. The team at Streamline Insurance can help make sure your coverage is complete. We offer free insurance policy reviews to set yourself up to handle a minor damage insurance claim or even a total loss insurance claim. You never want to find out after a disaster that you did not have the proper insurance coverage. Contact us today and make sure your homeowners insurance is here to protect you during the fire season.
