Page 11 - AAA Schuylkill County – AAA Now! July/August 2015

Preparing For Lightning Storms
INSURANCE SERVICES
While electrical storms are most common in the summer months, lightning can strike at any time of year and any hour. And when these storms rumble through, they can cause a significant amount
of damage in a short period of time.
In the United States, lightning
strikes the ground about 30 million
times each year. In 2013, these storms resulted in 23 deaths, 145 injuries and nearly $24 million in property damage, according to the National Weather Service.
"Lightning is only one part of the problem," said Sue Smyrl, Insurance Agency Manager with AAA Schuylkill County. "High winds and heavy rains associated with lightning storms can also be devastating."
DURING THE STORM
If a lightning storm is expected in your area:
• Seek shelter inside a building.
• Avoid contact with conducting pathways, like
plumbing pipes, corded phones, televisions and other electronic equipment. Appliances, when plugged in, can also conduct electricity from the
outside.
• Use only a cell phone or cordless telephone during an electrical storm.
• Deadly household activities – doing the dishes, laundry and showering – until after a storm passes. Pipes, faucets and metal sink basins are conduits for electricity and touching them can result in an electrical shock.
• Stay indoors for at least 30 minutes after a storm passes. Lightning can strike miles from a storm’s center.
LIGHTNING STORM INSURANCE COVERAGE
• Damage caused by lightning, such as fire,
is generally covered by standard homeowner or renters insurance policies. Electrical appliances damaged as a result of a lightning-induced power surge may also be covered by a standard policy.
• Lightning-caused damage to a vehicle is typically covered under the comprehensive portion of an auto insurance policy.
Lightning storms can often have other impacts to your home and vehicles. These include:
• Damage caused by falling trees due to high winds. This kind of damage is typically covered by standard homeowner and auto insurance policies. However, if the tree was known to be weak before the storm, the damage may not be covered.
• A wildfire that results from a lightning storm can cause damage to homes and cars. Insurance coverage for wildfire, even if caused by lightning, is included in a standard home insurance policy and by the comprehensive coverage of an auto insurance policy.
• Heavy rains can bring flooding, which is not covered by most homeowner policies. Homes damaged by flood may be covered by a separate, optional flood insurance policy, typically provided by the National Flood Insurance Program.
• Damage to cars as a result of flooding is generally covered under optional comprehensive coverage of auto insurance policies.
For more information on auto, homeowners and other personal lines of insurance, please contact your local AAA Schuylkill County office.
Continued from page 10
of each one. Educate yourself by doing some research and talking to a life insurance specialist.
Not Having the Right Kind
Don’t assume you have the right kind or amount of life insurance to
meet your needs through your lifetime. Also, life insurance offered by your employer may not be the only coverage you need. If you change or lose
your job, for instance, you may not be able to keep your employer-provided life insurance. An individually owned life insurance policy, on the other hand, can offer more competitive premiums and coverage options that can be tailored to fit your exact life insurance needs.
Not Reviewing Annually
There may be a time after you’ve gotten your policy when you need to make adjustments. Rather than putting your life insurance policy out of sight and out of mind, keep it in a place that will allow you to easily access it for review. Your life insurance needs are likely to change throughout your lifetime, so it makes sense to review your coverage annually with a life insurance specialist.
Making the Grade: AAA Life Insurance Company has over 1 million policies in force and an A.M. Best rating of A- (Excellent), the fourth highest ranking out of 16, as of May 2014. The rating reflects AAA Life Insurance Company’s financial strength and positive outlook for the future.
Life insurance underwritten by AAA Life Insurance Company, Livonia, MI. AAA Life (CA Certificate of Authority #07861) is licensed in all states except NY ALAN-22589-415-XX.
JULY/AUGUST 2015
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