INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE
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I.I.I. Offers Tips on Disaster Preparation Including Obtaining the Right Type and Amount of 探花精选 Coverage
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NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2009 --听听 While California leads the list of eight of the 10 most costly wildfires in the U.S. over the last 30 years, drought conditions and increased building in woodland areas intensify the risk for wildfires in many other parts of the country, too, according to the 探花精选 Information Institute (I.I.I.).
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Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi and Arizona are among the top 10 states outside of California with the largest number of fires in 2008.听With the average cost of wildfire losses at $215 million annually from 1964 to 2008, an A.M. Best study reports, everyone needs to be better prepared for this kind of disaster.
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鈥淚f your community is threatened by a wildfire, your first concern is to protect yourself and your family,鈥 says Jeanne M. Salvatore, senior vice president and consumer spokesperson for the I.I.I.听鈥淭his means creating an evacuation plan and purchasing enough insurance to rebuild your home and replace all of your belongings in the event that they are completely destroyed.鈥
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Damage caused by fire and smoke are covered under standard homeowners, renters and business owners insurance polices and under the comprehensive portion of an auto insurance policy, notes the I.I.I.听Water or other damage incurred by fire fighters to extinguish the fire is also covered under these policies.
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To prepare for a wildfire or other disaster, the I.I.I. recommends the following steps:
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- Review your insurance coverage.听Possess enough insurance to rebuild your home and replace your personal belongings.听If you have made a major alteration or improvement to your home or have made significant purchases, notify your insurance agent or company representative so that the increased value is reflected in your policy.
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- Create a home inventory.听This will help ensure that you have purchased enough insurance to replace your personal possessions.听It can also speed the claims process and substantiate losses for income tax purposes.听A detailed home inventory is helpful should you need to apply for disaster aid, too.
To make creating a home inventory easier, the I.I.I. provides free Web-based software located at .听The Know Your Stuff software allows you to easily organize and list your possessions, as well as add digital photographs of your valuables and save scanned receipts.听The program provides free, secure inventory storage on Amazon Web Services.听Storing your inventory online gives you the ability to access it from any computer in the event your own computer is damaged or destroyed.
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- Protect your property against wildfires.听 (IBHS) suggests that 鈥渕inimizing your home鈥檚 exposure begins with creating and maintaining a survivable space and then incorporating fire-resistant building materials and construction techniques when replacing or upgrading your home鈥檚 exterior features.鈥 .
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- Plan your evacuation and what you will need to take.听Create a family disaster preparedness plan by identifying escape routes from your home, work and neighborhood. You should also designate an emergency meeting place if you become separated from each other.
Heed any warning to evacuate to a designated shelter immediately. Take emergency supplies such as medicines, prescriptions and first aid supplies, drinking water, non-perishable food, clothing and bedding (sleeping bags, blankets, pillows), computer hard drive or laptop, a portable radio, flashlight, extra batteries, special items for infants (car seats) or disabled family members (wheel chairs, oxygen tanks), baby items, extra eyeglasses and cash.听Don鈥檛 forget pet food and other items for pets such as litter boxes and leashes.听Keep important documents nearby to take with you including insurance policies, your home inventory, passports, drivers licenses, wills and deeds, birth, adoption and marriage certificates, recent tax returns, stocks, bonds and other negotiable certificates.
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- Find out if you are ready to evacuate by doing a real-time test.听Give yourself just 10 minutes to get your family and belongings into the car and on the road to safety.听By planning ahead and practicing, you should be able to gather your family members and pets, along with the most important items you will need, calmly and efficiently, and with a minimum level of stress and confusion.听For related videos, go to the Ten-Minute 听听听听听听听听听听听 Challenge.
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For more information on disaster-proofing your home or business against fire, access the Institute for Business & Home Safety鈥檚 .
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To learn more about how to protect your community from wildfires go to the FireWise Communities .听
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For more information on insurance coverage or how to file an insurance claim, go to
I.I.I.'s Web site.
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The I.I.I. is a nonprofit, communications organization supported by the insurance industry.