While tornados are less likely to occur in the Northeast, Massachusetts sees on average one or two touch down annually, so tornado warnings should be taken very seriously! They are crucial indicators of potential danger and demand immediate action to ensure the safety of individuals in their path. At Stephen Benjamin Insurance Agency, we understand the significance of tornado warnings and aim to provide our clients with the necessary information to protect themselves and their property.
Tornadoes, with their destructive power and unpredictable nature, can cause severe damage within a matter of minutes. To minimize the potential risks associated with these natural disasters, it is essential to be well-prepared and educated about tornado warnings. Here are a few key points to consider:
1. Understanding Tornado Warnings
Tornado warnings are issued when a tornado is either observed visually or detected by weather radar. These warnings are prioritized by meteorological agencies to alert individuals in the affected areas. It is important to have access to reliable sources of weather information, such as local news channels, weather apps, or NOAA Weather Radio, to stay informed about any tornado warnings in your vicinity.
2. Taking Immediate Action
Upon receiving a tornado warning, it is vital to take immediate action to ensure personal safety. The first step is to seek shelter in a sturdy, interior room on the lowest level of your home, such as a basement or a windowless bathroom. If you are outside or in a mobile home, it is crucial to find a nearby sturdy building to take shelter in. Remember to stay away from windows, as flying debris are a significant hazard during tornadoes.
3. Preparing an Emergency Kit
Preparing an emergency kit in advance can make a significant difference in the face of a tornado warning. Your kit should include essential supplies like non-perishable food, water, flashlights, batteries, a first aid kit, and a portable weather radio. It is also advisable to have a plan in place for your family, including a designated meeting point and a designated person to contact in case of separation.
4. Reviewing Insurance Coverage
Ensuring that you have appropriate insurance coverage is crucial to protect your property in the event of a tornado. Review your homeowner's insurance policy to understand the extent of your coverage and consider additional policies, such as flood insurance or windstorm coverage, if you reside in a tornado-prone region. At Stephen Benjamin Insurance Agency, we are committed to helping our clients navigate their insurance options to provide the necessary coverage to meet our clients needs.
For more tornado information and safety tips click here.
Problematic Pests - Protect Your Home, Especially in Winter!
It’s the time of year to be cozy here in New England. With temperatures plummeting and snow on the ground, you might be spending a lot of time inside your home. It’s only logical that in this time of year we see an increase in some unwanted house guests: rodents and insects who also want to start warm in the winter months! From mice to termites to squirrels, all types of creatures can make their way into your house during the winter — leaving a trail of destruction. Let’s talk about how you can keep your home pest-free this winter.
Winter Pest Problems
Pests can cause problems in a home any time of year but winter is a very common time for them to do so. Why?
Those that don’t hibernate are searching for food and shelter in the winter months, both of which they can easily find in your home. You want to be warm and toasty indoors, so do they!
When you brought live greenery inside for the holiday season, like wreaths and trees, did you inspect it for the spiders, moths, and other pests that like to nest in greens?
That fireplace sure is cozy! But you should leave the firewood outside unless you inspect it for pests before bringing it indoors.
In addition to food and shelter, with the dry air, pests are searching for moisture. Just like us, pests and insects need water to survive and they can often find it in your bathroom or kitchen.
Potential Dangers of House Pests
Aside from the fact that pests indoors are simply a nuisance and are invading your personal space, there are serious threats they pose to you and your family that go beyond headaches.
Structural damage - Lots of cold weather pests like rats and raccoons can cause serious structural damage to walls and electrical wiring as they gnaw through a house looking for food or warmth.
Spreading disease - Mice and and other pests can carry diseases like Hantavirus and Salmonella which will make family members sick if contracted.
Mess - Even if the problem doesn’t escalate to structural damage or disease, rodents are still capable of creating a big mess for you to clean up. It’s not fun to find animal droppings in your belongings or torn-through items.
If you ever suspect an infestation of any kind of pest, you should call a professional exterminator immediately.
Here are some steps you can take to be proactive in preventing a pest problem this winter:
Take out the trash as often as you can.
Keep food sealed in air-tight containers.
Clean up food and beverage messes, including crumbs and residue, immediately after spills or cooking.
Check for vulnerable spots around your house. Even the smallest of openings are easy access points for pests.
Seal gaps, cracks, and holes around the house. Install weather stripping around windows and doors. Seal interior holes and gaps with good quality caulking or protective sealent.
Check for broken vents on the home’s exterior. Repair any loose siding or shingles.
If you have a chimney, consider a chimney cap to stop creatures from entering from above.
Clean gutters regularly to avoid pooling water—the perfect breeding ground for some insects.
Keep areas clear of clutter where mice and other creatures like to hide. It’s time to clean out those closets!
Follow the preventative measures we’ve provided above and if these critters still manage to make their way into your living space, take immediate action.
March is National Umbrella Month!
March is National Umbrella Month!
What is personal umbrella insurance and do I need it?
Umbrella insurance works very much like an umbrella you would use to keep the rain away. It extends the protection your home or auto offers. A personal umbrella policy provides liability insurance over and above your primary insurance policies, such as homeowners and auto. It’s used when you are found liable for a claim that exceeds the limits of your underlying policies.
Let’s tackle a few questions about umbrella insurance coverage as we celebrate National Umbrella Month!
So what does umbrella insurance cover?
Bodily injury liability covers the cost of injuries to another person
Property damage liability covers the cost of damage or loss to another person's tangible property
Other personal liability covers other actions a policyholder could be sued for, such as:
Slander (an injurious spoken statement)
Libel (an injurious written statement)
False arrest, detention, or imprisonment
Malicious prosecution
Mental anguish or shock
What are some examples of when you may need an umbrella policy?
You cause a 10-car accident and your auto insurance property damage coverage isn’t high enough to replace all 10 accident victims' vehicles. Nor is your personal liability coverage high enough to pay for their medical bills.
You send sandwiches to your son’s school for a field trip lunch. Several students develop food poisoning and their parents sue you.
Have a pool in your backyard? Say you host a backyard BBQ and a neighbor who can’t swim ends up in the deep end. Your homeowners insurance liability limit alone might not be high enough to cover all of the medical or legal costs from this incident.
Your child gets in a fight at school and breaks another kid’s arm. The parents of the injured child sue.
So do I really need umbrella insurance?
As a general rule, you should purchase umbrella insurance if the total value of your assets, including ordinary checking and savings accounts, retirement and college savings and investment accounts, and home equity is greater than the limits of your auto or homeowner's liability. The idea behind this advice is that you want to have enough liability insurance to fully cover your assets so you can’t lose them in a lawsuit.
A second piece to consider is “Am I at risk of being sued?” and the answer here is that while yes, everyone is, especially in the lawsuit happy world we live in, however some may be more at risk than others. If you own property and rent it out, if you employ household staff, have a trampoline or a hot tub, or swimming pool, if you often host large parties, have teenage drivers, or if you are a well known public figure, all of these types of activities can put you more at risk.
Ok, so what is it going to cost me?
Compared to other types of insurance, umbrella coverage is quite affordable. As far as the “Bang for your buck” factor goes - umbrellas are tough to beat! The Insurance Information Institute says most $1 million policies cost $150 to $300 per year. You can expect to pay about $75 more per year for $2 million in coverage, and another $50 per year for every extra $1 million in coverage beyond that. Most insurance companies’ umbrella liability policies start at $1 million in coverage, with higher limits available.
Why is umbrella insurance so cheap? It’s partly because you have to carry plenty of homeowner's and auto insurance before an insurance company will issue you an umbrella policy. You’ll need to carry certain liability coverage available under your homeowner's and auto policies before you can purchase an umbrella policy.
What doesn’t an umbrella policy cover?
Damage to your own property. Remember, it’s a liability policy, so it will only cover you if you’re held responsible for damage to someone else’s property.
Damage that you or a covered member of your household cause on purpose. If you deliberately pushed your party guest down the stairs, umbrella insurance wouldn’t cover the costs of the lawsuit or judgment (and neither would your homeowner's insurance).
Liability incurred in business or professional activities. You’ll need business liability insurance to cover these incidents.
If you have questions about your liability coverage and whether or not you need umbrella insurance, please contact our office. We’d be happy to review your current policies and situation to help you weigh the costs and potential benefits of this coverage.
Fire Prevention Week 2021
Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety
Is there a beep or a chirp coming out of your smoke or carbon monoxide alarm? What does it all mean? Knowing the difference can save you, your home, and your family! Make sure everyone in the home understands the sounds of the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and knows how to respond.
Learn the sounds of your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms by checking the user guide or search the brand and model online. What is your alarm telling you?
SMOKE ALARMS
• A continued set of three loud beeps—beep, beep, beep—means smoke or fire. Get out, call 9-1-1, and stay out.
• A single “chirp” every 30 or 60 seconds means the battery is low and must be changed.
• All smoke alarms must be replaced after 10 years.
• Chirping that continues after the battery has been replaced means the alarm is at the end of its life and the unit must be replaced.
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) ALARMS
• A continuous set of four loud beeps—beep, beep, beep, beep—means carbon monoxide is present in your home. Go outside, call 9-1-1 and stay out.
• A single chirp every 30 or 60 seconds means the battery is low and must be replaced.
• CO alarms also have “end of life” sounds that vary by manufacturer. This means it’s time to get a new CO alarm.
• Chirping that continues after the battery has been replaced means the alarm is at the end of its life and the unit must be replaced.
Make sure your smoke and CO alarms meet the needs of everyone in your home, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
Some tips:
✔ Install a bedside alert device that responds to the sound of the smoke and CO alarms. Use of a low frequency alarm can also wake a sleeping person with mild to severe hearing loss.
✔ Sleep with your mobility device, glasses, and phone close to your bed.
✔ Keep pathways like hallways lit with night lights and free from clutter to make sure everyone can get out safely
Source: National Fire Protection Association nfpa.org
Homeowners Insurance and Mortgagee Billing
Do I have to notify my insurance company if my mortgagee changes?
How many times have you heard of banks buying out other banks, changing their name, or selling borrower’s loans to other banks? Probably pretty often! You may have gotten a letter in the mail to notify you of such a change.
How many times do you think said banks contact your insurance agent or company to inform them of a change? Hardly ever. In fact, almost never!
What can happen if the insurance company is not aware of a change of mortgagee? Especially when your mortgage company pays your insurance premiums out of escrow? Your insurance could possibly cancel for non-payment of premium!
As the insured, you need to keep your insurance agent up to date with information about any changes of banks (for example, if you received a letter that your loan has been sold to another bank), if you have recently refinanced with a different bank, or even if there has been a change in your bank’s address.
If your homeowner’s insurance premium is to be paid by the mortgagee, the payments are escrowed, which means that part of your monthly mortgage payment is set aside to pay this bill. When the policy renews, the company will send an invoice to the mortgagee that is on the policy. If this has changed, the “old” mortgagee will not send this invoice to the “new” mortgagee – it likely just gets tossed in the trash. The next thing that happens is that you are getting a notice of pending cancellation for non-payment of premium which of course can be very unsettling.
If you, the insured, can confirm that we, your agent, have the correct mortgagee clause and loan number on your policy, we can work on avoiding any problems with payment of the premium.
Questions about your homeowner’s insurance policy or how your account is set up for billing? Reach out to us today! We’d be happy to help.