Do You Have Flood Insurance? 5 Things Everyone Must Know

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) draw the flood zone maps that dictate the necessity for flood insurance across the nation.  The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides property owners and renters insurance against damage from flooding.

Here are 5 things everyone should know about flood insurance.

1. Your homeowner’s, business owners’ and renters’ policies do NOT protect you against damage caused by flooding.  Even if flood insurance is not required for your property, it is an important factor to consider if you are financially vulnerable to flooding.  Natural disasters, such as the recent Hurricane Sandy, make flooding the most common and costly devastation.
2. Know your flood zone.   There is a risk of flooding no matter where yiour property is locate.  About 25% of flood insurance claims occur outside of the high risk flood zone.
3.  Flood insurance protects both your building and your contents.  The NFIP does not cover damage to landscaping, fencing, swimming pools and exterior lighting.
   
4. There is a 30 day waiting period from the date of purchase until the flood insurance takes effect.  The time to buy flood insurance is before the start of hurricane season.
5. Flood Insurance ad Federal Disaster Assistance are NOT the same.  Federal Disaster Assistance is a load that must be repaid with interest and is only available after a Presidentially declared disaster.  Flood insurance will cover damage even if the President does not declare an area a disaster area.

If you have incurred damage due to flooding and need help, contact Thomas J. Ueberschaer, P.A.

Insuring yourself for the unexpected

There are few absolute rules in life but we try to prepare for the unexpected as much as we can.  One thing we have some controlover is the type and amount of insurance we should carry.  Ideally, you should carry four types of insurance: property/casualty; life; medical; and disability.

Property/Casualty Insurance.  This type of insurance protects your home, autos and other property you own to ensure that they can be repaired or replaced.  The casualty insurance will protect you if you are at fault for causing the need for repair or replacement.  Another protective insurance you may want to consider is an umbrella liabilty policy.  An umbrella policy fills in the gaps for your homeowners and auto policies if their coverage is insufficient.  For example, if you have a $10,000 liability coverage on your auto insurance policy but you, unfortunately, are at fault in an auto accident that causes $30,000 worth of damage to another person’s property.  Your umbrella policy would take effefct and provide one more layer of liabilty protection.  An umbrella policy is relatively inexpensive when compared to most other types of liability insurance.

Steps to insuring your teen driver

Your teen’s most anticipated event may be a parent’s most worrisome.  Unfortunately, teen drivers account for a disproportionate amount of auto accidents.  As a parent of a high schooler, I have witnessed too many accidents in the school parking lot alone.  One way we can protect our teen drivers is to see that they are adequately insured.  Here are some steps parents can take.

Your teen gets his/her permit:

1. Call your insurance company to list your permit-holding teen on your policy.
2. You will probably not see a change in your premiums until your teen obtains a driver’s license. For this reason, although it may be unpopular choice with your teen, encourage your teen to keep his/her permit with its stricter driving requirements until you feel they are ready for a driver’s license.

Your teen gets his/her license:

1. Call your insurance company for a quote on adding your teen to your current policy.
2. Obtain a quote from a separate insurance company for an individual policy just for your teen.  There are many online quotations available.

Hospitals fighting Florida Workers’ Compensation rule changes

Saying that state rule changes could mean a 10% decline in reimbursement for outpatient services, the Florida Hospital Association is taking its case to court.
The Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Workers’ Compensation published a new set of proposed rule changes in July on state reimbursement rates for hospitals covering outpatient treatment for people under workers’ comp insurance.

The association has filed a legal challenge with Florida Division of Administrative Hearings to stop a rule change by the state’s financial services division.

The hospital association calls the changes “radical” and is asking a hearing judge to block them taking effect.

Hurricane Isaac on course for Gulf Coast

The current track shows Hurricane Isaac could make landfall as a Category 1 storm on Tuesday somewhere between Mobile and Tallahassee. The time to prepare is now. Use this Hurricane Preparedness Checklist to make a plan before the storm arrives.

Before the Storm:

1. Fill up your vehicle’s gas tank.
2. Test your generator with a load to insure it is working properly.
3. Check your flood insurance policy on what is and is not covered.
4. Have some cash on hand in small denominations.
5. Have a portable battery powered AM radio.
6. Fill medical prescriptions.

Prepare your Home:

1. Board up your windows or close storm shutters.
2. Trim the trees and shrubs around your home.
3. Clear clogged rain gutters.
4. Take pictures of your home inventory, electronics, jewelry, appliances, etc.) and store them in a safe place, or email them to a relative.
5. Secure or remove all items outside your home (grill, potted plants, etc.)
6. Tie down small or young trees to prevent uprooting.
7. Store all important documents in a water proof container and in a secure location.
8. Turn off propane tanks.
9. Fill the bathtub and/or other large containers with water for cleaning and flushing toilets.

If you plan to evacuate:
1. Are you located in an evacuation area on the evacuation map. Check http://www.bereadyescambia.com or http://www.santarosa.fl.gov/emergency to verify.
2. Give your evacuation plans to a friend or relative not in your area.
3. Find a list of emergency shelters in your area at http://www.bereadyescambia.com or http://www.santarosa.fl.gov.emergency/shelters
4. Take a copy of all your important documents.

If you plan to stay:
1. Fill gas containers and store them safely.
2. Have a 3-5 day supply of food on hand.
3. Have a first aid kit on hand.
4. Have fully charged cell phones.

During the storm:
1. Turn the refrigerator and freeze to the coldest settings and keep the doors shut.
2. Avoid using the phones except for emergencies.
3. Stay indoors and away from doors and windows.
4. Close all interior doors.
5. Keep curtains and blinds closed.
6. Take refuge in a small interior room of your home.

After the storm:
1. Do not venture on the roads until you have been advised they are passable and safe.
2. Carefully inspect your home’s exterior for damage and safety issues.
3. Avoid any downed power lines.
4. Do not run generators or grills indoors.
5. Check with local authorities about whether water is safe to drink.If in doubt, boil for one minute to disinfect.
6. Document any damages and contact your insurance company to start a claim.

Supreme Court upholds Obamacare 5-4

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the controversial health care law championed by President Barack Obama in a landmark decision that will impact the November election and the lives of every American.

In a 5-4 ruling, the high court decided the individual mandate requiring people to have health insurance is valid as a tax, even though it is impermissible under the Constitution’s commerce clause.

Panama City most dangerous city of its size for motorists and pedestrians

Last year, Panama City was the most dangerous city of its size in the state for motorists and pedestrians.

The dubious distinction sent police in search of possible solutions, and one solution, implemented last July, was the installation of traffic citation and crash reporting software.

The software, TraCS (Traffic and Criminal Software), is designed to save money and lives by eliminating paperwork for crash investigators and increasing the speed with which traffic crash data gets to decision makers in Tallahassee, said Amy Cochran, a TraCS program coordinator at Florida State University.

“We were looking for anything that would help,” said Sgt. Jason Jeter, who supervises one of two PCPD traffic units.

PIP reforms come with many unanswered questions

Personal injury protection — the auto insurance that every Florida driver is required to buy — is about to undergo a major overhaul that state officials hope will translate into lower premiums for millions of motorists.

But for now at least, even the official in charge of making sure the reforms actually work — Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater — says drivers will have to wait before they see significant savings.

“We will know the answer to that in the next 12 to 24 months,” he said.

For months, the Legislature argued over how to fix the system that pays for the first $10,000 in medical bills in an auto accident regardless of who is at fault. Lawmakers ultimately struck a deal to put stricter limits on medical treatments that injured motorists can receive and create a new group intended to fight the fraud that insurers say is endemic in PIP.

As of July 1, state law will ban the use of PIP dollars to pay for massage or acupuncture treatments and will limit the payout for nonemergency treatment of accident-related injuries to $2,500. And Atwater will become head of a fraud-fighting group that’s a bit unusual.

Florida personal injury protection (PIP) deadline to go from 2 years to 2 weeks

Florida residents involved in car crashes may not be able to get the money they’re entitled to under Florida’s personal injury protection.

A new law limits the amount of time a person has to make medical claims.

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LINK: Learn more about Florida PIP law.

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David Harter said he was struck by a teenager driving behind him who was on a cellphone.

Alabama 3rd most dangerous state for drivers. Mississippi is the most dangerous.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, more Americans aged five to 34 are killed in motor vehicle crashes than from any other single cause. Despite this disturbing fact, a study released this week shows that states where fatalities caused by car accidents are a major issue are doing the least to prevent them.