Here in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas, the stormy season is upon us.  With storms from severe thunderstorms to hurricanes to tornados we often have flooding.  In fact, we are all at risk this time of year.

If you are a homeowner, you not only must protect yourself and your family, you must protect your home from the threat that flooding brings.  So you must be sure that you have the right insurance coverage.  You should know that flooding is typically not covered by your homeowners policy.  Instead, you will need a separate flood insurance policy. But don’t make the mistake of waiting until the water starts to rise – flood insurance requires a waiting period before it becomes active. 

To avoid costly mistakes and protect your loved ones, consider the following steps to take before flooding strikes.

Collect Important Documents

Pull together your insurance policies and contact information for your insurance agent, financial records, medical records, records of major purchases such as vehicles, home, etc. You will also want to create a home inventory with photos and detailed descriptions of your belongings.  Then, put your documents and inventories in a safe deposit box or store them at home in a fireproof, waterproof sealed container and be sure that everyone knows where they are stored.

Prepare your Home

Determine the maximum projected flood level for your area and create a plan to move your furniture and valuables to a flood above that level if possible.  If flooding is likely in your area, consider elevating your appliances and even your electrical outlets to a level above the projected flood level if possible.  Develop a Survival Kit with sufficient drinking water, canned food and first aid supplies to serve your family.  Include blankets, an extra cell phone, a radio, a flashlight and if possible a supply of any prescription medications that your family requires.  Store your kit in a safe, dry, cool place and check it, replacing and replenishing as necessary.

Prepare Your Family

Develop an emergency evacuation plan and practice it periodically, including designating safe evacuation routes to higher ground from workplaces, childrens’ schools as well as your home. Include provisions for your pets in your plan. Be sure everyone knows emergency phone numbers and the contact information for a designated friend or relative who lives out of the area and who agrees to be your family contact in the event of disaster. 

Get More Details:

Visit FloodSmart, an online resource for consumers provided by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for much more information, checklists, questions/answers, flood insurance details and much more. 

Visit Know Your Stuff (a feature of the Insurance Information Institute) for everything you'll need to create your detailed home inventory.

Here in Timonium, MD, at the Sparks Insurance Agency, our experienced agents know about flood insurance and we know your community whether you are live in Maryland, Virginia or Pennsylvania.  We welcome your questions about flood insurance and look forward to having you contact us at your convenience.

This year, for the first time, the Information Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) performed crash-test evaluations on plug-in electric cars.  The Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt earned the highest safety rating, earning the top rating (of “good”) for frontal, side, rear and rollover crash protection.  Along with a standard rating for electronic stability control, both the Volt and the Leaf earned spots among the Top Safety Picks List for 2011.

As a consumer, you can be confident that automakers are utilizing safety engineering in their electric cars that rival that used in their vehicles with internal combustion engines.

The 2011 Top Safety Picks for all sizes of cars, vans and SUVs has been published by the IIHS.  This list recognizes 38 cars, 25 SUVs and one minivan, in addition to the Volt and Leaf hybrid vehicles. Compared to 2010, you will find more than double the number of vehicles to choose from that meet the safety criteria used by the IIHS.

We all look forward to a vacation break during the summer months; but, in fact, so do burglars who know that homeowners many times leave their homes unprotected. However, most burglaries could be prevented if we take basic precautions.  According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), light, time and noise are the homeowner’s greatest weapons against home invasion by burglars.

• According to the FBI, more home burglaries occur in June, July and  August than in any other months of the year with August being the heaviest month. Don’t allow your home to become another statistic during these months (or ever!).
• Do not announce your travel plans to the public; you can post your pictures when you return.
• Notify a trusted neighbor of your travel dates.
• Ask a neighbor or someone you trust for simple favors such as: putting your garbage out, Clearing away flyers, notes, and packages left in doors.
• Never hide a key. Give it to the trusted person you have checking your home.
• Properly close and lock all windows and doors – including  your garage.
• Do not let valuables be seen from the outside of your home, but leave curtains slightly parted so your home doesn’t look empty.
• Put a temporary stop on the delivery of mail and newspaper.
• Document and mark your valuables either by making a list or taking pictures. Store important documents in a security box somewhere other than your home. This will help you file an insurance claim in the event of a lost or stolen item. This tip is also useful in case of natural disasters.
• Have your answering machine message say, “Sorry we can't come to the phone" instead of “We are away until next week”.

The III reports that a burglar won’t spend more than 4-5 minutes trying to break in before going to the next house. Most insurance companies provide discounts for devices that make a home safer such as dead-bolt locks, window grates, bars and smoke/fire/burglar alarms.

Before you take that long-awaited vacation, consider contacting your insurance agent for further suggestions and to find out just how your home is protected against burglaries and theft of your valuables.

As hybrid and electric vehicles become more popular, advocates for the blind are reporting concerns about the lack of operating noise.   It seems these green vehicles just don’t produce enough noise – especially at low speeds – to warn pedestrians.  A 2009 government study found collisions with pedestrians and bicyclists more prevalent among hybrids than among gasoline-powered vehicles.

Some auto makers are already working toward producing synthetic noise in their hybrid and electric vehicles.

For example, the electric Nissan Leaf emits a whooshing sound at low speeds.  Likewise, the Chevrolet Volt optionally produces a chirping sound and activates flashing lights if the driver activates the alert system.  Others like the Infinity M35 and the Hyundai Sonata hybrid also produce such synthetic sounds.

To move the effort along, President Obama signed a law in January, 2011, designating a 2014 deadline for equipping these hybrid and electric models with synthetic sound that can be heard by pedestrians.

It’s every homeowner’s nightmare:  arriving home from a long-awaited vacation to find that your house has suffered water damage in major proportions! 

Could this have been avoided? 

Follow these few tips to avoid water damage in your home while you are away relaxing…

• Turn off your water main shut off valve to your plumbing system.
• If the water heater is in good condition, turn the thermostat to vacation on a gas water heater. On an electric water heater turn the breaker off at your main electrical breaker box, to avoid wasting energy.
• Walk around the outside of the home; make sure nothing is leaking before you leave the house.
• If you have an indoor hot tub, it may be wise to drain the water out to prevent any leaks or electrical malfunctions.
• Designate someone you trust to check that nothing has broken or continues to run while you’re gone.
  • Leave the following information with this person:
  • The phone # of where you are staying or your cell phone #.
  • Give them 3 business cards. Yours, Your Insurance Agent’s and SERVPRO of Hunt Valley’s (just in case).
  • The phone # of a person who you would allow to make decisions for you in your absence.
  • It is wise to also leave this information in your home somewhere so that the person will see it when they are in the home.

Better to be safe than sorry…

Do you know whether water damage from appliances or some other source around your house is covered by your homeowners insurance.  Why not check with your insurance agent before leaving home – just to be sure.  Your agent can help you discover what protections you have and might even have some further tips to keep your home safe.