The Sooner Geek

This is the season of storms in Oklahoma and many other states.  We are currently recovering from several massive storms in the last week, and there are likely more to follow.  The average hail storm only lasts six minutes, but causes millions of dollars in damages.  It can damage your home, business, and your vehicle.

I work in auto insurance, so that is where I’ll focus this blog post.   Hail can damage glass, trim, body panels, and if severe cause water damage if glass is damaged and not covered.  There are some things you can do prior to the storm to help protect your vehicle, which is likely your second most valuable investment.

• Pay attention to local weather forecasts from the National Weather Service and learn to recognize when a storm is headed your way.
• If possible, move your vehicles into a covered area such as a garage, parking garage, carport, or nearby car wash.
• If you absolutely have to leave your car outside covered parking, consider covering the major upward facing panels and glass with thick blankets.

If the hail has already started to fall and you haven’t taken precautions, DO NOT go outside to attempt to protect your car or other possessions, they are just that, possessions.  Some other things to consider are:

• If you are driving your vehicle and are near a covered area, consider taking cover there, but stay in your vehicle and cover your head and face to protect from glass breakage.
• If local officials are warning of tornadoes in the area, DO NOT take cover beneath overpasses or other weak structures; winds are concentrated and debris flying through the area could cause greater harm.
• If there is no shelter available, pull off the road and do not leave your vehicle until you are sure the hail has stopped.

After the storm has passed, inspect your vehicle and other possessions for damage.  If there is glass breakage, leaks or other issues that could cause further damage if not addressed, cover them to mitigate damages.  In many cases, this is required by your insurance policy.  If you do find damage, report it to your insurance company as soon as reasonable.

Remember, it’s likely that there are others in your area with more damage than you have and that the insurance company is possibly inundated with claims.  Most companies will do their due diligence and work through them as quickly as possible.

My next post will focus on the general claim process.

If you are interested in seeing if you can save money or are looking to change insurance companies for any reason, comment or send me an email and I can get you a referrer link to get a quote online with GEICO!

If you have insurance questions or would like to see this type of post again, let me know.  I’m currently going this route because of the type of storms we have here, and the questions I run into during my job as an adjuster.