Last week, state Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis urged Floridians to prepare as Florida entered the peak of the 2022 Hurricane Season on Saturday.
Patronis said his Prepare Florida website serves as a one-stop-shop for disaster preparedness information and tips to help Floridians ensure they are prepared.
“The peak of the 2022 Hurricane Season is here, and Floridians cannot let their guard down. As we’ve seen in the past, storms can develop and strengthen quickly leaving little to no time to prepare. Now is the time to ensure your disaster plan is in place. Floridians should keep a close eye on the latest weather reports and visit PrepareFL.com now for important disaster preparedness resources. When it comes to disasters, having a plan is vital and our Emergency Preparedness Toolkit is designed to help you prepare a home inventory and organize your financial information to ensure you can recover from a storm quickly. Don’t wait until landfall is imminent; it may be too late. Prepare now, Florida!” Patronis said.
The CFO’s office offered the following Five Disaster Preparedness Tips
1. Conduct a home inventory. Compile a video home inventory by using your smartphone to walk through your home and narrate what is being recorded including value or replacement costs. Email it to yourself for easy retrieval later.
2. Secure flood insurance coverage. Standard homeowner’s insurance policies don’t cover flood damage. If you live in a flood-prone area, contact your agent about obtaining flood insurance. There are more than 40 insurance carriers writing flood insurance in Florida’s insurance market. Depending on your home’s location, you may qualify to enroll in the federally administered National Flood Insurance Program.
3. Ensure you are adequately covered. The value of your home and possessions may have increased during the past several years, or you may have made improvement or purchased expensive personal items. Review your insurance policy and check your coverage limits.
4. Consider additional living expense coverage. Additional living expense features of most homeowners’ policies pay some expenses for losses that leave homes unlivable during repairs. Such expenses could include limited motel, restaurant and storage costs.
5. Do not wait until a storm approaches. Property insurance companies do not accept new applications or requests to increase coverage once a hurricane nears Florida, so it is important not to wait until a storm is imminent to verify coverages. In addition, most flood insurance policies take 30 days to go into effect, so it is vital to act now.
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