Is Hurricane Damage Covered by Home or Flood Insurance?

No specific insurance policy provides hurricane coverage, but certain hurricane damage may be covered by your homeowners or renters insurance policy, depending on where you live and your coverage. Flooding due to hurricanes is consistently excluded from home and renters insurance—for that, you should consider a flood insurance policy.

Homeowners may also have to supplement their coverage with windstorm insurance, if they're in hurricane-prone regions such as parts of Florida, Louisiana and Texas. In case of hurricane damage, you may need to file a claim under one or all of these policies to receive proper compensation.

When does homeowners insurance cover hurricanes?

With a homeowners insurance policy, the dwelling and personal property coverage is restricted according to the cause of the damage. Perils are either listed as covered, or you're covered except for perils that are specifically excluded, depending on the type of policy you have. Hurricanes aren't generally named as either a covered or excluded peril, but their effects—such as wind and flooding—are.

Since hurricanes can cause multiple forms of damage at the same time, they're particularly risky for homeowners who are covered for certain events but not others.

For example, if your homeowners insurance covers damage from the hurricane's winds but you don't have flood insurance, a portion—or the entirety—of your claim could be denied if your house sustained water damage. Homeowners insurance typically won't cover hurricane damage to your car, RV or boat. Damage to these vehicles would be covered under the comprehensive portion of a full coverage car, RV or boat insurance policy.

Even if your claim is covered, hurricanes pose an additional issue in that they cause damage to a large number of properties at once. This leads to spikes in the cost of labor and construction materials just when you need them the most.

When you're looking for a home insurance policy, you may be able to choose between actual cash value, replacement value and guaranteed replacement cost coverage. These options refer to the amount you would receive in payment if your house, or part of it, was destroyed in a hurricane.

Replacement cost coverage is more expensive than actual cash value because your policy will pay to restore your property to new should it be damaged, while actual cash value accounts for depreciation. Guaranteed replacement cost coverage is the most expensive, as it also will pay to cover increased costs of construction or materials that you might face after an event like a hurricane.

Hurricane and named-storm home insurance deductibles

If your homeowners insurance policy covers wind damage or other damage from hurricanes, claims may be subject to a separate deductible, often called a hurricane deductible or named-storm deductible. Named-storm and hurricane deductibles are higher than standard homeowners insurance deductibles and are often set as a percentage of your dwelling coverage. The amount varies according to your state's laws and the insurer you choose but can range from 1% to 10% of your home's value.

Currently, 20 states have hurricane deductibles. If you live in one of them, check your homeowners insurance policy to determine what you might have to pay in the event of a hurricane:

For a hurricane or named-storm deductible to apply, a certain trigger needs to have happened, such as the National Weather Service issuing a hurricane warning in the state. Triggers can be set either by the state or insurer, so you should refer to your homeowners insurance policy to understand what the trigger is. They may also apply to other natural disasters, such as tropical cyclones.

You should similarly understand whether the deductible is applied on a per-event or annual basis. Florida, for example, restricts the use of a hurricane deductible to an annual basis. This means that, once you've met the deductible, any damage from further hurricanes covered by the insurer in that year would not require you to pay a separate deductible.

Windstorm insurance coverage for hurricanes

If you live in a hurricane-prone region, your homeowners insurance policy may specifically exclude wind damage, particularly if it's linked to a hurricane. In these cases, you'll need to purchase a separate windstorm or wind and hail insurance policy to supplement your coverage. Wind insurance can either be purchased as an endorsement to your home insurance policy, as a separate policy from a private insurer or through a government program. Generally, you'll need to have been rejected by at least one private insurer before the government-run insurers, such as Texas' TWIA, will accept you.

Similar to homeowners insurance, windstorm insurance or an endorsement will typically cover not just your home, but other structures on your property, such as tool sheds or fences.

How does flood insurance cover hurricanes?

Flood damage caused by a hurricane will not be covered by your homeowners insurance policy. Instead, you'll need a separate flood insurance policy to cover water and storm surge from natural disasters. If you live in a region that is at risk of flooding and hurricanes, you may already be required to maintain flood insurance as a term of your mortgage. However, it's still a good idea to consider coverage if you live in a flood plain, even if it hasn't been zoned as high risk.

Flood insurance policies from FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provide coverage for your dwelling and its contents, but if you want over $250,000 of dwelling coverage, coverage for landscaping or decks that could be damaged in a hurricane, or additional living expenses coverage, you'll need a policy from a private flood insurance company.

NFIP policies also generally exclude coverage for basement flooding or damage to a basement's contents, so they won't pay out for claims involving basement property. Private flood insurance can either be purchased as excess flood insurance coverage, adding on to your NFIP policy or as a standalone policy.

The cost of flood insurance varies based upon where your house is located, as well as whether it's your primary residence—vacation rental homes and secondary houses may cost more to insure. Note that flood insurance, similar to windstorm insurance, should be purchased well in advance of a storm, as it can take a month before being in effect. If you live in an area that may face hurricanes, you likely won't be covered if you wait until a warning to purchase coverage, and your flood insurance claim will be denied.

When does renters insurance cover hurricane damage?

Renters insurance policies are similar to homeowners insurance—they'll cover certain damages associated with hurricanes, so long as the event is either named or not excluded from your policy. Renters insurance policies also don't cover flooding, so renters need separate policies to cover flood damage.

Unlike homeowners insurance, renters insurance doesn't cover hurricane damage to the outside of the building your condo or apartment is located in. Your landlord's insurance should cover damages to the external structure. In addition, if your apartment has covered damage from a hurricane, you would only have to pay your standard deductible. There's no hurricane deductible for renters insurance policies.

What about my car?

One item that's almost never covered by home or renters insurance is your car, whether the damage is from a hurricane, storm, or almost any other cause of damage. Fortunately, hurricane damage to your car is covered by auto insurance — so long as you have comprehensive coverage. Comprehensive coverage pays for any damage to your car that's not caused by a collision, including severe weather, vandalism, and theft.

Comprehensive coverage is not legally required, so if you only have liability coverage, you'll have to pay for any damage to your vehicle yourself.