GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The storm that hit West Michigan Thursday night was proof that we can’t avoid severe weather when it comes. Thankfully, Doyle and Ogden Insurance says there are ways to protect your home before and after.
“Talking to your insurance agent to make sure you have the right coverage is obviously the first step— making sure that you have enough coverage for any sheds, barns, pools, things like that. People don't often think about what the value of some of those items are,” Doyle and Ogden Vice President Shannon Heads explained.
A big part of proactively protecting your home is making sure that you have enough coverage for personal belongings. Heads says you need to make sure the things inside your home are properly insured.
She suggests making a personal inventory by taking videos of what’s in every room so you have proof of what you own.
“If a tree comes through, you want to take pictures of that, show that it happened. And if you can do it safely, get the tree down from where it is try and find a way to put a tarp over your roof, over whatever it is. Find a way to board it up to stop any further loss,” she explained.
Heads says with any policy, it’s always important to check with an insurance agent about what your built-in coverage includes. Many companies will be able to assist with expenses for food and living arrangements, too.
Most insurance companies don’t cover tree debris cleanup, so if you do need to hire someone for help, it’s important that whomever you hire is insured, in case any further damage is done to your property.
“You just want to be careful to make sure before you sign anything on an iPad on a piece of paper, that you've seen the estimate, that you understand the scope of the work that the contractor is going to do for you and that they are an insured contractor,” Heads told FOX 17.
Additionally, she suggests updating your insurance policy every year because you never know if and when something will happen.
