“Make a plan ahead of time with your family, so if disaster strikes you can be prepared,” says Dustyn Shroff, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s leading independent homeowners insurance agency.
Hurricane season begins June 1 and runs to November 30. In 2020, there were 30 named storms. The season was so active it went through the list of storm names and used the Greek alphabet a record breaking 9 times to name storms.
AccuWeather’s team of tropical weather forecasters is once again predicting an above-normal season in terms of tropical activity in the Atlantic, as well as a higher-than-normal chance that a major hurricane could make landfall in the mainland United States. 16-20 named storms and 6 to 8 hurricanes of those, about 3 to 5 are forecast to reach major hurricane status, which occurs when a storm reaches category 3 strength with winds exceeding 111 mph or higher.
The National Hurricane Center is already tracking a tropical wave activity. Overall activity is expected to be between 29% and 36% more active than any normal season.
Another well-known hurricane forecasting center, Colorado State University predicts 19 storms for the season, 9 becoming hurricanes, 4 could become major hurricanes reaching category 3, 4 or 5.
AccuWeather’s team reports, “the presence of La Niña, above-normal sea-surface temperatures in key tropical development regions will result in a higher-than-normal chance of preseason development for the eighth year in a row.”
Based on those past landfall locations, the areas with the greatest potential for direct impacts along the mainland U.S. are the southeast Texas coast eastward through Florida, particularly the panhandle area, and the coast of the Carolinas.
“It is important for homeowners to make sure they are not underinsured,” says Dustyn Shroff, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s top independent homeowners insurance agency.
Ask your agent if your policy covers the current value of your home. Also, if your home is damaged, will your home insurance cover a place for you to stay during repairs? Do you have flood insurance? Flood insurance is the only way to cover water or flood damage caused by a storm. Keep in mind, it takes 30 days for a flood insurance policy to kick in, so planning ahead is required.
Don’t wait until it is too late, contact GreatFlorida Insurance for homeowners insurance or flood insurance. Our agents can answer your questions leaving you no gaps in your homeowners insurance.
