I've looked into moving somewhere affordable, but it seems to be an area prone to wildfires and was evacuated for such recently.
What happens during an evacuation? Where do you go? Who covers the cost it's a hotel or something, or do people find their own accommodations? What kind of damage can you expect from smoke when you return home if it is still standing? Anything else unexpected that comes from this?
Thanks
Insurance adjuster…I can let you know what a typical renters or homeowners insurance policy covers. In general, if a civil authority officially orders you to evacuate due to fire or hurricane most policies cover up to whatever limit you have in dollars or time frame to stay somewhere else during that evacuation. Heavy smoke can cause damage even if your premises is untouched. I did several claims for renters in Colorado where the neighborhood across the street burned down but the apartments survived. Everything had to be thoroughly cleaned and some things like pillows, sofas, mattresses, etc have to be replaced because you can’t get the smell out ever. $20,000 to clean or replace all the smoke damaged stuff in one unit was not unusual.
I’ve lived in high fire danger areas of California most of my life and had fires miles away from where I lived many times over the years…the threat is real but the likelihood of an evacuation or fire or smoke damages to your property is pretty low statistically.
If you have any questions specifically about insurance or that part of the process feel free to ask.
Real curious… If you were insured by the same company you work for, would you be able to handle your own claims, or is there some sort of conflict of interest?
Definitely not. Any claim involving an employee is immediately put on controlled access so only the assigned adjuster and their manager can access it and no one else. It would be all kinds of trouble if you were even tempted to access a claim involving yourself, a friend or family member. This is the same way claims that involve litigation are handled due to issues with confidentiality, records retention, discovery etc.