National Severe Weather Preparedness Week - Become a Force of Nature!

Prepare yourself for severe weather - join Kansas Insurance in becoming a Force of Nature!

The past few years have been tough for Kansas in terms of storm damage. In 2011 alone, Kansas weather-related losses reached a record breaking $1.095 billion, surpassing the previous storm loss record by close to $400 million! Nationally, just last year there were more than 450 weather-related fatalities and nearly 2,600 injuries. Tornadoes struck approximately 46 states, caused over $1.6 billion in damage and nearly 70 fatalities. There were more than 935 tornadoes in 2012, with 206 in April alone. While April and May are peak months, tornadoes happen all year round.


This week, March 3-9, 2013, has been designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as National Severe Weather  Preparedness Week, and they have started a campaign to urge all Americans to Be a Force of Nature.


Building a Weather-Ready Nation requires that every individual and community take action because severe weather knows no boundaries and affects us all.

So how can you participate?

Know Your Risk: The first step to becoming weather-savvy is to understand which types of
hazardous weather risks affect you where you live, and how severe weather could impact
you and your family. Every state in the United States has experienced tornadoes and other severe weather events, so no matter where you live you are exposed to some degree of  risk. The FEMA website has a lot of good information about all kinds of natural disasters and how to prepare to protect your family during emergencies.

Pledge and Take Action: Be Force of Nature by taking the Pledge to Prepare at ready.gov/severe-weather. By taking the pledge, you are committing to taking action to make sure that you and your family are prepared for severe weather. This includes filling out a family communications plan that you can email to yourself, putting an emergency kit together, keeping important papers and valuables in a safe place, and getting involved.

Stay informed: Ensure that you receive updates about severe weather by having multiple sources for weather alerts: obtain a NOAA Weather Radio, sign up for weather alerts through a local news organizations (such as these from the Lawrence Journal-World) or other emergency weather officials and see if your cell phone is compatible with Wireless Emergency Alerts. 

Be an Example: Once you have taken action and pledged to Be a Force of Nature, share your story with your family and friends. Create a video and post on a video sharing site; post your story on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, comment on a blog, or share through any other social media site. Technology today makes it easier than ever to be a good example and share the steps you took to help achieve the vision of a Weather-Ready Nation.




Knowing your risk, taking action and being an example by sharing your knowledge and actions through your social network are just a few steps you can take to be better prepared and assist in saving lives.


Kansas Insurance is committed to Being a Force of Nature. Are you?



*Note: The bulk of this post's content was provided by NOAA.gov. Visit http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/force to find resources you can share with your community. 

7 Signs that You Need an Insurance Checkup

The new year is on its way! Have you made your resolutions?

Since 2013 is coming fast, we thought it would be a good time for an insurance checkup!

As time goes on and your life changes, your insurance needs will change too. Periodically updating your insurance can help save you money and ensure that the policy you started so many years ago is still relevant today. 

Time for your annual checkup! You need to make sure that your valuables are protected.
(Image courtesy of vichie81 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net) 

You might have done some things last year that you didn't realize could change your insurance. Here are some flags that you might need to review your policy.

You've renovated your home.

(Image courtesy of africa/FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Have you recently made any improvements to your home? If so, you should check with your insurance agent to make sure you are getting the most out of your coverage. You might be paying more than you have to because many companies offer discounts for home improvements. Or worse, you might not have the coverage that you need.

You should check in with your agent if you have made any of the following changes to your home:

• Replaced your roof, heating system, electrical system or plumbing.
• Added a security or sprinkler system.
• Built an attached or detached structure, such as a new porch, storage building or carport.
• Installed a pool or hot tub.
• Done any significant remodeling that might have raised the replacement cost of your home.

You've made any large purchases.

If you’ve recently purchased anything valuable, you might want to check and make sure it is covered. While the bulk of your home’s contents are going to be covered under your personal property coverage, most home insurance policies put a limit on how much they will pay for certain categories of property, like jewelry, firearms, furs and collectibles. Certain things may need to be scheduled, or specifically listed. Your agent will be able to help you determine the best way to cover your valuables.

You've had a child leave for college.

Check with your agent to make sure the things that they take with them are still covered. Sometimes your personal property coverage will extend to cover their things while they are away, but it is best to make sure that they don't need to get their own separate renter's policy to cover their belongings instead. It might also save you money on your auto insurance if they no longer have access to any vehicles on the policy.

You've changed marital status.

This is an important but often forgotten detail that agents need to know. If you have gotten married, your new spouse needs to be added to your policies so that they are covered as well. Also, a lot of times just changing your status from “single” to “married” on your insurance can make your premium go down a significant amount.

If you are recently divorced, you’ll want to make sure to let your insurance company know that as well so that your policy can be updated accordingly. Insurance policies should be split up just as assets are split up. If you have refinanced your home in only your name, for example, you wouldn’t want your ex’s name showing up on a claim check, would you?

You’ve improved your credit.

Having good credit can lower your insurance premium, but not every insurance company that uses credit as a factor gets an updated score at every renewal. If you think your credit has improved since you originally wrote the policy, you might consider asking your insurance company if they have recently checked your credit report.  

You've changed your job.

If you’ve changed jobs and it affects the amount of time you spend driving, you should let your agent know. It might not change anything, but some companies offer lower rates for those who work close to home and have a shorter commute.

Also, if you have started a job that requires you to drive on the clock in your personal vehicle, like pizza delivery, you need to let your agent know right away. Your personal insurance policy might not cover you while you are doing commercial activities, and might need to be rewritten as a commercial policy.

You’ve sold or purchased a vehicle.

This seems like an obvious one, but with all of the hassle of selling a car you might not have remembered to call up your insurance agent to have it removed from your policy…which might mean you are still paying for coverage on a vehicle that you don’t have. If you have a bill of sale showing the date that it was sold, your agent might be able to backdate the removal. If you bought a car, you’ll want to make sure that it was added to your policy so you don’t find out the hard way that you’ve been driving around in an uninsured vehicle.