According to The National Severe Storms Laboratory, “A tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from the base of a thunderstorm to the ground.” While that description doesn’t sound so bad, they do add that “Tornadoes are the most violent of all atmospheric storms.” Yup, definitely scary. And from an insurance perspective, definitely risky. So can you get insurance in a tornado prone area?

The short answer is yes. Unless your policies specifically exclude wind damage, you most likely have coverage for tornado-related damage in your existing insurance policies. While you probably do not need special insurance coverage for tornadoes, you do want to make sure you have the right limits in place should you face devastating damage from a tornado.

How well your policies actually cover tornado damage depends on the types and amount of coverage you carry. We’ve outlined some areas to review with your insurance agent to help you make the most of your insurance in a tornado-prone area.

Personal Insurance and Tornadoes

Homeowners Insurance and Tornado Coverage

It will likely be more expensive in a tornado-prone area, but often homeowners insurance policies do cover tornadoes.

Here are some tips to make sure you’ve got the right homeowners insurance coverage for tornadoes:

  • Review the policy language for exclusions that include tornadoes. If you’re not confident enough reading through the policy yourself, ask your insurance agent to help you and ask if tornado damage is covered.
     

  • Check on your limits to ensure that if you were to face a total loss due to tornado damage, you’d have enough coverage to rebuild and replace your belongings.
     

  • Look for loss of use coverage. You’ll want a homeowners policy that includes loss of use, which will help pay housing and living costs if your home is uninhabitable due to a covered cause of damage.
     

  • Determine whether your policy offers replacement cost coverage. If it does not, consider switching to a policy that does. If you were to face a significant loss, replacement cost would cover the cost to replace your belongings with items of like kind and quality, without factoring in depreciation.

Auto Insurance and Tornado Coverage

Whether tornado damage is covered under your auto insurance depends on several factors, including the coverage you carry and what your policy will cover. If you have the right types of coverage, you should be covered for wind damages, including tornadoes.

These tips can help you evaluate your auto insurance coverage:

  • If you just carry your state’s required auto insurance coverage, you likely do not have coverage for damage to your car caused by tornadoes.

  • Review the policy language for exclusions that include tornadoes. If you’re not confident enough reading through the policy yourself, ask your insurance agent to help you and ask if tornado damage is covered.
     

  • Consider adding comprehensive coverage to your auto insurance. This coverage will help cover damages and losses to your car caused by wind, hail and other tornado-related causes, as outlined in your policy.
     

  • Consider adding rental car reimbursement coverage to your policy. Should your car be damaged, this coverage will cover the cost of rental vehicle while your car is being repaired.

Renters Insurance and Tornado Coverage

Similar to homeowners insurance, your renters insurance should cover tornado damage if it covers wind.

  • Review the policy language for exclusions that include tornadoes. If you’re not confident enough reading through the policy yourself, ask your insurance agent to help you and ask if tornado damage is covered.

  • Check on your limits to ensure that if you were to face a total loss due to tornado damage, you’d have enough coverage to replace your belongings.
     

  • Look for loss of use coverage. You’ll want a renters policy that includes loss of use, which will help pay housing and living costs if your rented home is rendered uninhabitable due to a covered cause of damage.
     

  • Determine whether your policy offers replacement cost coverage for your personal property. If it does not, consider switching to a policy that does. Replacement cost coverage helps cover the cost to replace your belongings with items of like kind and quality, without factoring in depreciation.

Flood Insurance and Tornado Coverage

Rain can accompany tornadoes. If this leads to flooding, the damage from flood is often not covered under your homeowners, renters or auto insurance, but requires a separate flood policy.

Is insurance more expensive in tornado prone areas?

Living in a tornado prone area may mean higher premiums than areas that aren’t at risk for tornadoes, but the same goes for any area that is likely to have storms. If you were to face tornado damage, that coverage could be well worth the premium. Ask your agent about ways you can help lower your insurance premiums, like going paperless or bundling your policies.

Conclusion

You likely already have coverage for tornado damage, but if you’re not sure, check with your insurance agent to review what is and isn’t covered by your policy so you don’t run into any surprises.

While having coverage is important to managing your tornado risk, having the right coverage in place is essential in covering the cost of rebuilding or replacing your assets. Once you are sure your insurance policies do cover tornado damage, make sure you have the right amount of coverage to rebuild after a storm. Considering the devastating damage that tornadoes can cause, make sure to review your policies with your insurance agent annually to ensure you’ve got the right limits in place to cover your home, car and belongings.

Speak with a licensed insurance agent today at (855) 244-7671 to discuss whether you have the right insurance coverage in place for tornadoes. Or request more information below: