Do I need Earthquake insurance if I live in Kentucky?
Earthquakes can cause a great deal of damage that won’t be covered under your homeowners, renters or condominium insurance policy. Your home is insured for earthquake damage only if you’ve added an endorsement to your policy or bought a separate earthquake policy. You’ll obtain a better value by finding carrier which can offer Earthquake by endorsement rather than on a separate policy through a separate carrier you’ve never heard of. All of our carriers at McDaniel Insurance in Shelbyville, Kentucky offer earthquake by endorsement.
Kentucky as well as every state in the U.S. has some risk of having an earthquake. Some areas of the state are more at risk than others as illustrated by this United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Seismic Hazard Map. The areas in red and orange have the highest risk.
Based on this map, do you feel like you need Earthquake insurance? If you don’t have Earthquake insurance, think about how you would manage the costs to recover from an earthquake. Without insurance, how would you pay to repair or rebuild your home? How would you pay the costs to live somewhere else while your home is being repaired or rebuilt? How much would you owe your lender if your home is destroyed? How much would you lose if your home were damaged or destroyed by an earthquake and you couldn’t afford to repair it? Earthquake insurance can help with all of these costs. Finally, how likely is it that your home will be damaged in an earthquake? Brick homes, wood frame homes with crawl spaces, and multi-story homes are more likely to be damaged in an earthquake. A qualified contractor or engineer can help you assess your home’s risk for earthquake damage.1
Earthquake insurance covers repairs needed because of earthquake damage to your dwelling and may cover other structures not attached to your house, like a garage. It insures your personal property against damage from an earthquake. It may cover increased costs to meet current building codes and costs to stabilize the land under your home. Earthquake insurance covers the cost to remove debris. It also pays for extra living expenses you may have while your home is being rebuilt or repaired. While insurance for earthquake damage isn’t part of your homeowners insurance, you can add it by buying an endorsement (a written change to your coverage) and paying an extra premium. All insurers writing homeowners coverage in Kentucky must offer an earthquake endorsement if requested by a consumer. There will be important differences between your earthquake insurance and your homeowners insurance policy.1 Ask an agent at McDaniel Insurance to further explain those differences.
We’ve shared with you your Earthquake risks if you live in Kentucky, how to get the insurance coverage, what it covers and then what could happen if you don’t have it and an earthquake occurs. Now that you have this information, call one of our agents and we will shop amongst our carriers for prices for your homeowners insurance with and without Earthquake. Please call or text us at McDaniel Insurance at 502.909.0920. We’ll work hard to find you the best value.
- Kentucky Department of Insurance, July 2017