Hurricanes, Fires, & Tornadoes…Oh My! Every year Collectibles Insurance Services has a handful of total losses and many claims of damage due to natural disasters.
News-Antique.com - Sep 04,2009 - Hunt Valley, MD, September 1, 2009- Collectibles Insurance Services, LLC (www.collectinsure.com)
“Firefighters set backfires and removed brush with bulldozers across a huge swath of Southern California forest on Tuesday to try to contain a 190-square-mile wildfire that has destroyed 53 homes and threatened thousands more in foothill suburbs.”
Courierpress.com- September 1, 2009
“Described as "an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane," Hurricane Bill was churning closer to the Atlantic island of Bermuda on Wednesday, forecasters said.”
CNN.com – August 19, 2009
“Powerful winds slammed parts of four Midwestern states on Wednesday, leaving behind shattered windows, toppled power lines and a handful of injuries. At least a half dozen suspected tornadoes were reported.”
ABCnews.go.com- August 19, 2009
Every year Collectibles Insurance Services has a handful of total losses and many claims of damage due to natural disasters. “We try to keep our customers informed and prepared for possible claim events” advises Annemarie Fitzpatrick, Director at Collectibles Insurance Services “and have made specific changes to our policies to address natural disasters”.
In their most recent customer newsletter, Collectible Chronicles, customers were reminded to:
- Report losses or the possibility of a loss immediately
- Store records of their collection at a location away from the collection ideally a safe deposit box
- Schedule individual items worth $5,000 or more
During the 2008 hurricane season, Collectibles Insurance Services received calls from customers up and down the east and gulf coast asking what to do with their collections. Of course their Collectibles Insurance Services’ policies would cover damage to their collectibles from the hurricane. But they were concerned about coverage for those collectibles they were taking with them - - typically a limited amount of coverage is provided for the collectibles “while in transit”.
As a result of customer concerns, Collectibles Insurance Services implemented a waiver of their policies’ transit sublimit. “We want customers to feel secure in taking their cherished collections with them” says Fitzpatrick, “therefore in the instance of a government recommended or mandatory evacuation our policies now provide coverage up to the policy limit while the collection is in transit.”
The following links provide more information about disasters in your area and how to prepare:
Preparing and Getting Trained, American Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_239_,00.html)
Are You Ready? FEMA (http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/)
California Fires – Government Information and Assistance, USA.gov (http://www.usa.gov/californiafires.shtml)
About Collectibles Insurance Services, LLC
Since 1966, Collectibles Insurance Services has been “insuring today's treasures from tomorrow's tragedy.” As a company founded by fellow collectors, we understand that your collection is worth so much more than just money. And as experts in collectibles insurance, we know standard homeowners insurance alone isn't enough to replace your treasures.
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