It may surprise our readers, but the United States has more tornadoes every year than any other country in the world. At 1,200 a year, we are the tornado capital of the world, and the vast majority of those tornadoes occur in “tornado alley,” which includes midwestern states and Texas, Kansas and, of course, Oklahoma. And, wherever they touch down, they cause catastrophic damage, which is why it is important to prepare in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Catastrophic damage
The Insurance Information Institute tracks tornados and their damage. In 2021 alone, over 100 people were killed by these weather phenomena. According to III, just one widespread tornado outbreak can cost $10 billion in damages. However, just one tornado can completely demolish you home, ranch, farm and everything else on your property.
Homeowners’ insurance
The first, and most important, prep Oklahomans need is homeowners’ insurance. Usually, these policies cover tornado damage, unlike flood and earthquake insurance. You should call your insurance broker to make sure our policy does not explicitly exclude tornado coverage. And, there could be situations where you need separate coverage to ensure that all damages caused by a tornado are covered. Your insurance company may use this as a reason to deny or reduce coverage.
Dwelling
The primary coverage type is dwelling coverage. This is the coverage for your home’s structure, and anything attached to your home, like decks or garages.
Personal property
The next type of coverage is personal property coverage. This insurance is for your personal belongings that are damaged or destroyed by the tornado. This can be the replacement cost or the actual cost, less depreciation. This can be an important distinction because it can be the difference in being able to replace all of your stuff or a fraction of your stuff from insurance proceeds. After all, the replacement cost of your television is much less than the actual cost, less depreciation.
Loss of use
The final type of coverage is loss of use. This type of coverage is for the loss of use of your home, and it provides temporary housing and other housing-relating expenses. This can include food costs, laundromat expenses, etc., should you not be able to live in your home. Of course, there are other tornado preps that we will cover in future blogs.