Most standard home insurance policies provide coverage for wind damage from a storm including shingles being torn off the roof, uprooted trees or spoiled food caused by power failure.
Roof Damage – if you have roof damage emergency repairs should be made as soon as possible in order to prevent further damage. You may contact your own roofer or contact your insurer for a list of preferred contractors. Once the emergency repairs have been made contact your insurance company so that they may have a representative come out and assess the damage. Note that only the affected areas of the roof will be repaired. You will not be entitled to have your whole roof replaced if only a small portion of it has been damaged.
Tree Damage - although the tree itself is not covered any resulting damage from it falling would be. The cost to remove it off the building is also covered but not the cost to chop it up and remove it from the property. As with roof damage make any emergency repairs necessary in order to prevent further damage to your home and contact your insurer.
Tree Damage to your neighbours home or cars - this can be a little more complicated and is where your liability insurance could come into play. If the tree was dead, in bad shape, or had branches that needed attending to and you failed to do this, you then may be responsible for the damage caused by that tree. If the tree was in good condition then it’s unlikely you would be held responsible for the damages because there would have been no way for you to have known that the wind was going to blow it down.
Power outages. A prolong a power outage may cause food spoilage. Many policies provide coverage for this.
Additional Living Expense coverage – this helps pay for your living expenses if you cannot stay in your home due to damage from an insured loss. Hotel bills, food and dining costs and other living expenses will be reimbursed for the time you are away from home while it is being repaired. Note that this does not include power outages unless there are other insured damages preventing the home from being tenable at the same time.
Proof - keep copies of all your receipts and photos to show your insurance company in order to help process your claim.
You must purchase one of the following optional physical damage coverages of, Specified Perils, Comprehensive or All Perils in order to have damages covered. Specified Perils includes coverage for losses caused by windstorm while both Comprehensive and All Perils include losses from windstorm and from falling and flying objects.
Like home insurance most standard business policies provide coverage for windstorm damage.
Business interruption coverage – if wind damage forces you to close the doors on your business during rebuilding or repairs, this coverage makes sure you can still make any necessary payments by paying you for your loss of income. There are many forms of business interruption coverage. Check with your commercial insurance broker to make sure you have the best coverage for your own situation.
