What to do before severe weather season to prepare for insurance claims

28 March 2023

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – From hail tornadoes, severe weather season can bring a lot to Kansas. Are you prepared in case something happens to your home?

“We had records of everything they were in the garage. The garage is gone,” said Andover resident Gary Dickerson.

Important documents blew away with the rest of Dickerson’s home in April’s EF-3 tornado. A problem when it came time to file insurance claims.


Survivor of the Andover tornado speaks out as we approach its one-year anniversary

“They’re going to want to know everything. They’re going to want to know when you bought it, where you bought it, and how much it cost,” he explained.

His biggest tip, grab your phone.

“Go record everything in your house. Open every drawer and record everything. Because once we moved back into our house, we noticed there were a lot of things that we didn’t itemize,” Dickerson said. “Such as a measuring cup, and now we have to replace those things. Insurance didn’t pay for that.”

Insurance companies encourage you to look into your coverage policies now.

“There were a lot of homeowners that were underinsured, and so now they’re having to grapple and fight with that, and it’s a hassle. It’s a headache. So make sure you go through your take the time to go sit with your agent,” said Mike Watkins, personalize producer with M & M Insurance.

Check on your deductibles.

“A lot of times when I’m talking to people about their insurance, they don’t. They’re not even sure what their deductible might be. So if you do have an event that’s covered, do you have the money saved up to pay for that deductible,” said Dame, Wiggins Farha Insurance Group producer.

Plus, make sure you’re covered enough to handle the rising costs to rebuild.

“Last year alone, we saw an 18% increase in materials that it cost to build a home and then that labor reduction with wages going up,” Dame said.

Something Dickerson can attest to, from construction costs to even refurbishing their new home.


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“We can only afford probably half of it because it’s been devalued so much, and the cost of everything is so much more expensive now,” Dickerson said.

Another tip from insurance agents is to check on the age of your roof.

“What happens is that over time throughout your policy, your roof gets a little older, and then throughout some term of the policy, you’ll get switched over to actual cash value, and there could be some surprises there once you make a claim,” Watkins explained.

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