 The National Hurricane Center is considering changing Hurricane Season from June 1 to May 15th. You’ve got to be kidding me – Right!?! Let’s face it, many of us haven’t fully recovered from 2020 hurricanes and now, as if we don’t have enough to fret about, the powers that be in the Weather Center want to add 2 more weeks of hurricane worry upon us. RELAX.
Regardless of when the National Hurricane Center states hurricane season starts or ends, there is no need to panic or fear. Being prepared and having a plan, however, is imperative. We may not be able to control Mother Nature, but here are some things you can do… Have an Evacuation Plan. No matter if the storm hits east or west of us, having an evacuation plan in place helps alleviates the stress of leaving. Review Your Home or Renters and Flood Insurance Policy ahead of time. Understanding your policy coverage, deductibles and limitations makes you a responsible homeowner/renter. Take pictures or a video of your home, contents, sheds or outbuildings, and yard helps you be more organized if you have to file a claim. Include pictures of closets and drawers, dishes, pots, silverware – everything! Many folks lose out on valuable reimbursement without proper documentation of what you own – especially those who have total or near-total losses. Have items in storage? Have pictures and an inventory list of those too as a percentage of your contents coverage extends to these things. It is especially important to record any existing damage on your home! If you happen to get caught with a new claim, this will help you and your insurance company from butting heads over details between claims. Keep a travel kit ready. A single suitcase or tote or briefcase with policies (including life, health and auto), Vet Records, Kid’s immunization records, Medications and/or a list of medications (include dosage!), Allergies, legal documents that may be important if you or a family member becomes ill or dies during evacuation, etc. saves you from having to think about these things when preparing to evacuate. Find more ideas on what to bring with you or have on hand if you decide not to evacuate in this post. Other important things we learned during 2020 hurricanes can be found HERE and more tips for travelling smart are listed in THIS blog post. Hopefully we’ve provided you enough information in this and other posts to help ease the stress of travelling or evacuating. Until next time, take care and remember…. Preparation is the key to success. Tommy Curtis and Staff  Image by Plume Ploume from Pixabay We’ve made it through January and February is nearly
half over, but did you know in old Roman times, when the calendar only had 10 months, February was actually the end of the year and March the beginning? It is still unclear when that changed to twelve months with January and February beginning the calendar year, but I thought it was an interesting fact to share. Which leads up to the actual topic of this post…. Changes Curtis Insurance is making in 2021. Although we will continue to service our existing clients, Curtis Insurance will no longer sell Home or Flood insurance policies. There are many reasons for this decision, the main one being changes to our staff, two of which are in the early stages of retirement and we wish them the BEST in their endeavors. With this in mind, we no longer offer Permit or Notary Bonds either. However, we’d be honored to be your #1 choice for Auto, Recreational Vehicle and Renters Insurance and are continuing to focus on meeting the needs of our community by offering Medicare and Life Insurance through our sister company, Curtis & Associates. If we may be of service to you in any, or all of these areas, please give us a call or come by our office at 509 7th St. in Lake Charles and let us help you! Until next time take care and remember…. Change is inevitable, how you handle it is up to you. Tommy Curtis and Staff Disclaimers: Medicare has neither endorsed nor reviewed this information. Not connected or affiliated with any United States Government or State agency Life and Medicare Products marketed through Curtis & Associates Financial Services, Inc. {A Life and Health Agency}  We've hardly had a chance to catch our breath after Hurricane Laura and here we are, facing Delta.
We've shared with you tips on Hurricane Preparedness, travelling and moving but here are a few more tips we've learned since evacuating August 26th..... Even if you were lucky enough to not have a claim due to Laura, take your home and flood insurance policies with you should you evacuate for Delta! Many folks were left unprepared to file their claim because they didn't think to grab that insurance policy when packing to evacuate. Your policy gives important details about your coverage as well as phone numbers you need in the instance of a claim. Make sure your auto policy is with you also, especially if you have Comprehensive and Collision coverage and be sure you have a current ID card on hand. If you evacuate and end up in the hospital - Do NOT allow anyone to change your Medicare plan! We've had this happen and the results are not always what is best for you. Your Medicare Supplement travels with you and your Medicare Advantage plan pays for emergency services whether you are in your network or not. Only in the instance of a permanent move outside your network area should you change your plan. Please be careful allowing someone to "help" you by changing "part" of your Medicare plan. A Medicare Advantage plan usually includes RX so someone changing "only the drug portion" - changes your entire plan! You may end up with only basic Medicare and a drug plan leaving YOU to pay the 20% Medicare does not pay on covered charges and perhaps even more. This is especially important if you're on Medicare AND Medicaid! Hope these tips help. Take care of your health and protect home as well as possible from further damage. I know, this isn't always easy, especially now, but do your best. We are praying with and for you. Tommy Curtis and Staff Life and Medicare Products marketed through Curtis & Associates Financial Services, Inc. {A Life and Health Agency}  As we move into the second month of 2020, there are so many things to consider when thinking about your insurance. We're going to take a moment and direct you back to some of our most important and most informative posts throughout the past couple of years.  *Image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay Bet the title of this post has you wondering what that old adage about the weather has to do with Insurance.
Lots! Brought on by Spring storms, March winds can mean anything from a gentle breeze to huge gusts to tornadoes. April showers sometimes mean flooding and those May flowers for June brides lend to thoughts of insuring your love.  Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay Purchasing a new home can be fun and exciting, it can also be fraught with fears, insecurities and too many things on your ‘to do’ list. Many people get all caught up in the excitement and forget one of the most important aspects of buying a new home–Insuring it!–then, in a panic, accept the first quote they receive, not understanding the basics of a home insurance policy.
Don’t be one of them.  Hurricane Season is upon us and many people are brushing up on their home/mobile home insurance policies and getting their evacuation plan in order. They’ve pulled out the declarations page and in reviewing, find there are 2 or maybe 3 different deductibles listed: AOP, Named Storm and/or Wind/Hail.
We’ll attempt to clarify these for you here….  If you call for a home, mobile home, or flood policy or to add comprehensive and/or collision insurance to your auto policy and are told no because the company is under binding restrictions, it may confuse or even irritate you.
What in the world are binding restrictions and why do insurance companies implement them? |
Tommy Curtis
Is an insurance agent with integrity and your best interest in mind. Call to speak directly to him. Contact us Phone: 337-433-1683 Address: 509 7th Street Lake Charles, LA 70601 Office Hours: M-F 9a - 5p (CST) Follow Us
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