Note: When a hurricane enters the Gulf of Mexico (80 degrees longitude and 20 degrees latitude), you can no longer change or purchase new Windstorm coverage along the Texas Coast.
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association
Hurricane Season begins June 1 and ends November 30. Although it seems none of us are ever ready for a hurricane, we must all be prepared. Please review your insurance policies and contact us if you have any questions or need to make any changes. Sometimes we remodel, or add on to our homes, and forget to contact our agents to update our policies. We ask that you do this as soon as possible. When there is a named storm within specified coordinates, (80 degrees longitude and 20 degrees latitude), insurance companies will not write new nor increase current property coverage.
As your insurance agents, all of us at Crystal Beach Insurance are committed to being here for you after a hurricane, or any storm. Crystal Beach Insurance Agency, L.L.C. has a full Catastrophe plan that begins with evacuation for our employees so that once the storm has passed, regardless of the conditions, we will be available to handle your claims.
Due to our Hurricane Rita evacuation experience, in the future we plan to close earlier to help our employees avoid major traffic congestion. However, we will not close until we can no longer bind new insurance coverage or make changes due to the proximity of the hurricane.
After the storm, depending on the damage, we will be taking claims from our Crystal Beach/Caplen office. If we suffer significant damage to our building, we will be operating with generators.
For all property claims, especially after a significant hurricane hits our area, please take the following steps:
• Contact us direct to report your claim
• Make temporary repairs only and keep all receipts
• Take pictures of the damage
• Make sure you leave us your cell phone number if you leave a message
• You must obtain a WPI-8 form from your contractor for all repairs
We are proud to be your insurance agent and we know that the time you will count on us the most will be when you have a claim. At Crystal Beach Insurance Agency, L.L.C., we have worked hard to be here for you, for all previous storms, and will be here for you after any future storms! If a wind or hail loss occurs, immediately notify your agent then protect your property after the loss.
A. Cover openings with a tarp, plastic or use other temporary measures to prevent additional water damage, and dry out water damaged/wet areas immediately to protect against mold growth.
B. Use fans and dehumidifiers to move the air and reduce moisture. Open closets and cabinet doors.
C. If the damage is severe enough, call a contractor who specializes in drying out water-damaged buildings. Look in the yellow pages under Fire and Water Damage Restoration or under Dehumidifying.
D. Move things to a safe, dry place. If any clothing or linens are wet or stored in damp areas, machine-wash or dry-clean them immediately and store them in a dry place.
E. Put things that are obviously ruined outside to dry until the adjuster comes to confirm your losses.
F. Look for wet areas on ceilings. If dripping, place a bucket under the leak. Drain the area carefully. Poke a hole at the edge of the wet area(s) so any trapped water can drain. Keep poking holes as you move to the lowest point. Shut off electricity in the areas, and do not get close to lights and other electrical fixtures with your stick. Remove soaked or sagging sheetrock using caution-it may be heavy. Remove the debris in sealed plastic garbage bags, and keep it outside for the adjuster to see. Remove any wet insulation in the ceiling to allow the joists to dry.
G. Check for moist sheetrock or water on the floor at the base of walls. If you think water is in the wall, take off the baseboard. Cut or drill a small hole into the wall about 2 inches above the floor (just above the 2x4 wood sill plate, but low enough so it can be covered by the baseboard after the wall dries out). If water drips out, cut or drill a hole large enough to allow water to drain freely. Catch the water in a pan. Make a hole every 16 inches to drain and ventilate wet wall spaces. Shut off electricity in the area, and do not use tools close to live switches, outlets and other electrical fixtures. Use fans to ventilate and dry wet areas.
H. If you have water behind wall paneling, carefully pry the bottom of each panel away from the wall. Use something to hold the bottom away from the sill so the wall cavities can drain and dry out. Use fans to ventilate and dry wet areas.
I. Carpeting should be actively dried using fans and/or heaters. Large area of wet carpeting should be pulled up, dried using fans and/or heaters, and wet padding removed and disposed of. If the wet area is extensive or the carpeting is old, it may be necessary to remove it from the building. Hard Floor surfaces should be dried with a mop or towel.
J. Before tearing out or removing damaged property or debris, take pictures or videotapes if possible. Keep any damaged property until the adjuster sees it and approves of disposal.
K. If your loss is covered by the policy, reasonable costs for temporary repairs are covered, so be sure to keep invoices and receipts.
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FACT: You can buy National Flood Insurance no matter where you live if your community participates in the NFIP, (National Flood Insurance Program) except in CBRS (Coastal Barrier Resources System) areas. The Program was created in 1968 to provide flood insurance to people who live in areas with the greatest risk of flooding, called SFHAs (Special Flood Hazard Areas). In fact, under the National Flood Insurance Act, lenders must require borrowers whose property is located within an SFHA to purchase flood insurance as a condition of receiving a federally regulated mortgage loan. There is an exemption for conventional loans on properties within CBRS areas.
Homes built after 1974 require an elevation certificate before we can quote, or write a flood policy. Once we have the certificate in our hand, quoting usually can be done within the hour. If you're buying a pre-owned home you may get the elevation certificate from the previous owner or selling agent. If they don't have one, then you will have to order one from a survey company. (Downstairs enclosure is not insured.) Homes built prior 1974 are called "pre-firm," we can obtain a flood zone certificate for you through the internet, and quote with that when we have it in our hands. Once we request this, it may take from 1 hour, to 2 days to receive it. (Downstairs is insured.) Some homes built between 1974-1991 may qualify be grand-fathered into a better zone (V to A). This takes a day or two because we have to submit it to the underwriting company, but may save you a great deal of money on your policy. Most of these homes are located within the old incorporated town of Crystal Beach city limits.
Quoting a flood policy requires an elevation certificate, and once we have the certificate in our hand, quoting usually can be done within the hour. Elevation certificates come from a survey company. If you're buying a pre-owned home you may get it from the previous owner or selling agent. If they don't have one, then you will have to order one. Quoting cannot not be done without one unless your home was built prior to 1974. If your home was built "pre-firm," (prior to 1974)we can obtain a flood zone determination certificate for you, and quote with that when we have it in our hands. This can take from 1 hour, to 2 days.
Sometimes grand-fathering the home into a better zone is possible if the home is built between 1974- 1993. This takes a day or two, but may save you a great deal of money on your policy.
High Risk Areas
In communities that participate in the NFIP, mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply to all A zones.
Zone A
Areas with a 1% annual chance of flooding and a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage. Because detailed analyses are not performed for such areas; no depths or base flood elevations are shown within these zones.
Zone V
There a special risk-rating procedure for coastal high hazard areas (V zones). When calculating the risk of a V zone property, the formula takes into account the ability of the building to withstand the impact of wave action.
Zone CBRS (Includes CBRA)
What is the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS)?
The CBRS is a system of protected coastal areas that includes ocean-front land, the Great Lakes and Other Protected Areas (OPAs).
Coastal barriers serve as important buffers between coastal storms and inland areas, often protecting properties on land from serious flood damage. Also, coastal barriers provide a protective habitat for aquatic plants and animals.
Zone CBRA
The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) of 1982 restricted development on the CBRS, in an effort to protect the barrier system and prevent future flood damage. If you live in a CBRS area, you are eligible for federally-backed flood insurance only if your property was built before 1982 and your community participates in the NFIP.
Storm surge is a large dome of water, often 50 or more miles wide, that sweeps across the coastline near where a hurricane makes landfall. Storm surge is the greatest threat to property and life along the effected coast.
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) legally defines a flood as follows:
Under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) a flood is defined as a general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land by:
The overflow of inland or tidal waters.
The unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.
The collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water as a result of erosion or undermining caused by waves or currents of water exceeding the cyclical levels which result in flood as defined above.
Under the National Flood Insurance Act, lenders must require borrowers whose property is located within a high-risk (Special Flood Hazard Area or SFHA) flood zone to purchase flood insurance as a condition of receiving a Federally-backed mortgage loan. Policies like these that have a lender can start immediately. However, if you don't have a lienholder, a new flood policy has a 30-day waiting period, so don't wait until the last minute. Plan ahead!
Flood coverage is available for home, condo and business owners, as well as for renters and businesses.
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