Last month, we talked about how insurance factors into your decision to buy a lake house. Flood insurance is equally important for other types of vacation homes, including those at the beach. Many people in the Rock Hill, Fort Mill, and York County areas have property at the South Carolina or North Carolina coasts. Beyond the current threat of Hurricane Matthew, a beach house is also at risk from damage from nor’easters in the winter.
According to the engineers at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, a research organization that has a testing facility in Richburg, there are several things you should do to prepare your beach house for an approaching storm.
First, protect your windows by covering them with hurricane shutters or plywood. Hurricane shutter panels must be installed prior to a storm approaching. Consider making this investment before you have a need for them. Many vacation homes are included in a homeowners’ association. In this case, make sure you know what’s allowed and how the property gets boarded up.
Next, protect your doors. You can board them up or install shutters. This is especially important if you have a storm door, which is more easily blown open by the wind. Don’t forget your garage doors.
Finally, make sure your insurance coverage is adequate. Communicate with your agent to make sure your policy is up-to-date.
The team at Gill Insurance Agency hopes you never have hurricane or storm damage at your beach house. Whether you have a claim on your vacation home or your home here in town, we’re always here for you.