There are a variety of natural disasters that strike households throughout the United States. In addition to the potential for adverse conditions brought on by drought, heat waves, and wildfires, cold waves, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes can also lead to devastating results. As a result of these situations, many individuals and families are displaced because their homes have sustained damage or been totally destroyed.

Recent Tornado Damage

During late February, for example, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio were struck by tornadoes. Harrisburg, Illinois, in particular, experienced the most devastation. There were over 225 homes and businesses that were either damaged or totally destroyed. The estimated damage that occurred in this area amounted to $475 million.

Homeowners and Renters Insurance

While most homeowners will have insurance to cover their material losses due to a natural disaster, renters don’t usually have this same level of coverage. The results of a 2015 Insurance Information Institute poll determined that while 95% of homeowners had homeowners insurance coverage, just 40% of renters had some type of renters insurance.

A Brief Overview of Insured Losses

During both 2014 and 2015, there were a large number of natural disasters that occurred within the United States. Given this, the dollar amount of insured losses was considerable. In 2014, Munich Re reported that these losses amounted to $15.3 billion. During the following year, they increased to $16.1 billion.

The insured losses in 2015 that were due to severe thunderstorms amounted to $9.6 billion. This amount comprised approximately 60% of all insured losses for that year. There were $3.5 billion in insured losses during the same year due to cold waves and winter storms. When taking the ten-year average of $1.8 billion into consideration, this was nearly double the amount from previous years.

The ten-year average for insured losses due to drought, heat waves, and wildfires was $2.8 billion. However, given a variety of factors and situations during 2015, the amount of insured losses was actually less. This amounted to $1.9 billion.

Insurance Claims for Water Damage

When insurance claims are filed, roughly 20% of these pertain to some type of water damage. While this may include claims to cover home water damage due to severe leaks, storms, and other catastrophic situations, flash floods may also be the cause for filing these claims. There are, of course, other situations that can cause serious water damage, such as burst pipes and water heaters.

Emergency Construction and Other Vital Services

Since going through these types of experiences can be disorienting and devastating, it may prove to be challenging to know just what steps to take in order to preserve or rebuild your home. During catastrophic events, it’s important to remember that 24-hour emergency hotlines are available from many insurance companies. The American Red Cross and other volunteer and government agencies are also supposed to be available to assist individuals and families during these events.

When you have suffered a significant loss, it’s important to know whom to call for assistance. This is where an emergency construction service can be of assistance. Has your home sustained interior water damage due to a flood? Do you need house fire damage repair? You’re probably aware that after a fire department has extinguished flames, house fire damage repair is usually needed to take care of any water damage that occurred. Since mold can grow quickly under these conditions, house fire damage repair may include mold removal as well as emergency board up services.