Triple-I Provides Six Ways to Minimize Winter Weather Risks

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For immediate release
New York Press Office: Loretta Worters, 917-208-8842, lorettaw@iii.org  

NEW YORK, Jan. 7, 2022—The 2022 Old Farmer’s Almanac envisioned a Season of Shivers for parts of the U.S. this winter and the year’s first week has delivered them along with snowfall, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I).

Severe winter weather can lead to events which are covered under standard homeowners and renters insurance policies, such as burst pipes, fires, and collapsed roofs.

To protect residences during the winter months, the Triple-I offers the following guidance.

Inside Your Home

  • Keep your home heated to a minimum of 65 degrees to prevent frozen pipes
  • Open hot and cold faucets enough to let them drip, another way to avoid frozen pipes
  • Check that fireplaces, wood stoves, and electric heaters are working properly to mitigate fire risks

Outside Your Home

  • Keep sidewalks and entrances free from snow and ice so no one sustains an injury while walking
  • Clear gutters of leaves and debris to allow runoff from melting snow and ice to flow freely
  • Check for dead, damaged, or dangerous tree branches and have them removed

Insurance Coverage for Winter Losses Standard homeowners insurance  policies provide coverage for damage caused by wind, snow, and ice to property and personal possessions.

Standard renters insurance policies provide coverage for winter weather-caused damage (e.g., burst pipes) to personal possessions.

Property damage caused by flooding is not covered by either standard homeowners or renters insurance policies.

Melting snow that seeps into a residence from the ground up would be covered by flood insurance. It is provided to homeowners and renters by FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program as well as several private insurers.

Filing a Claim To file an insurance claim for winter weather-caused damage, homeowners and renters should contact their insurance professional. The insurer will want to know the extent of the damage and ask the policyholder to document the loss with lists, receipts, and photographs.

RELATED LINKS:

Video: Minimizing Winter Weather Risks

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