Lightning Strikes Are a Real Risk to Homeowners—Are You Protected?

Lightning Strikes Are a Real Risk to Homeowners—Are You Protected?


Keith Leimbach never thought about the fact that his home was at risk of being damaged by a lightning strike. Fire? Sure. Storms? Of course.  But lightning?

“It never crossed my mind,” said Leimbach, of Brentwood, Tennessee. “It’s just not the kind of thing you think can happen to you.”

Nightmare at Midnight

Leimbach’s home was struck around midnight during an electrical storm in 2009. Keith, his wife, Kirsten, their three children, Luke, Jack and Sofie, and five visiting friends had just recently gone to bed. Luke, Jack and Sofie had only moments before left the game room on the top floor of their home where the lightning hit."
"We were watching the storm from our bedroom when we heard and felt a loud crack right over our heads. When I went out to investigate I immediately smelled smoke," recalled Leimbach.
"I couldn’t believe it, but it was clear what had happened. After we got everyone out of the house and across the street, I called 911 and found out the fire department was already on their way–our alarm system had notified them automatically."

Fire Department's Quick Response Wasn't Enough

The Brentwood fire department proceeded to spend nearly eight hours dousing the Leimbach’s home with approximately 50,000 gallons of water. Any parts of the structure and contents that weren’t destroyed by the fire were soon ruined by smoke and water.

“No one was hurt, but we lost almost everything,” said Leimbach. "Luckily we had a good home insurance policy. Our carrier got us into a hotel room that night and then found us a rental home in our neighborhood. They even had it furnished."

Basic Home Insurance DOES Cover Damage from Lightning Strikes

A basic home insurance policy will cover damage to your home caused by fire, storms (including snow, rain and hail), wind, tornadoes and yes, even lightning. The policy will also cover your personal belongings as well as the cost to live elsewhere while your home is being repaired, if necessary.

Soon after Leimbach’s meeting with his insurance adjustor, contractors began working on the reconstruction. The Leimbach’s moved back into their home within a few months.

Your Coverage Levels Are Key

Does Leimbach have any advice for other homeowners? Just one thing: "It's easy to think that by just buying home insurance you’re covered for anything. But you can’t make those assumptions. You’ve got to talk to an agent to make sure you have enough coverage to rebuild your house from the ground up if necessary. I can’t imagine what would have happened if we hadn’t had enough coverage."

Is your home adequately protected by your current home insurance policy? If you’re not sure, compare home insurance quotes today at Diversified Insurance. You’ll have the opportunity to speak to a Califonria licensed, experienced home insurance professionals who can help you make sure you have the protection you need. Plus, by shopping around you’ll have a great chance to find a policy at a lower rate.

Compare Home Insurance Quotes is Easy & Quick With Jason Shroot.  Just Contact 714-988-3325 or Jason@diversifiedinsurancequotes.com

The 17 Perils of Insurance

The 17 Perils

The word "peril" invokes different images for different people, although the reaction is usually the same for everyone: avoid, avoid, avoid.

Despite your best efforts, sometimes perils to your home and property cannot be avoided. That's where a good homeowner's insurance policy comes in. Homeowner's policies are defined by the perils that they insure against. The average homeowner's policy helps protect you, up to the policy limits, not only from common hazards like fire or wind, but from perils that you might think would be more likely to see in exotic locales than in your own neighborhood. Like volcanic eruptions and explosions.

Although there are myriad choices confronting policy shoppers, there are essentially three main categories of perils that you can insure basic dwellings against. Most policies cover the first 11, and you may have to purchase additional coverage for the others.

Here's a breakdown of the basic perils as covered by standard homeowner's insurance policies. 

The 11 basic perils:

• Fire and lightning
• Windstorm and hail
• Explosion
• Riot and civil commotion
• Aircraft
• Vehicles
• Smoke
• Vandalism and malicious mischief
• Theft
• Damage by glass or glazing material that is part of a building
• Volcanic eruption

The next step up in coverage usually includes the 11 basic perils plus six more:

• Falling objects
• Weight of ice, snow, and sleet
• Three kinds of water-related damage from home utilities or appliances
• Electrical surge damage

A third type of coverage protects against the above perils plus any other peril not specifically excluded by the policy. Examples of common exemptions include:

• Damage to the land on which your house is built
• Floods
• Earthquakes
• War
• Nuclear accident
• Intentional damage
• Business losses
• Wear and tear
• Damage caused by pets
• Theft from a house under construction
• Freezing of pipes in an unoccupied or vacant house
• Vandalism of a house vacant for over 30 days
• Weight of water or ice on a fence, patio, pavement, swimming pool or dock.
• Losses to property belonging to tenants
• Losses due to animals, birds, and fish

 For More Information On The Differences Between an HO3 and HO5 Homeowners Insurance Policy Please Contact Jason Shroot at 714-988-3325 or Jason@diversifiedinsurancequotes.com