Preparing for Fire Season with the Right Homeowners Insurance

No one wants to contemplate the thought of home damage by wildfire, but it’s a very real possibility, particularly when we’ve had the type of dry spring and erratic weather patterns that we’ve experienced in the past few years. More than one hundred large wildfires have already been reported this fire season and the US Wildlife Service predicts this year will be similar to last, a season that saw devastating fires in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. Southern California is on the watch list this year also. Are you prepared? Do you have San Diego homeowners insurance?

According to US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, recent damage by bark beetles on the western slopes of the Rockies has left the region with a “full stock of hazardous fuels”. The dry spring has also caused hazardous conditions in the Great Basin states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Hawaii is on the watch list too, as are most of the states in the southeast. The US Forest Service, with $2 billion in available funds, is working diligently to predict trouble spots and position resources.

The National Interagency Fire Center in San Diego is predicting a cool summer but a higher risk of fire due to drought conditions in the spring. Late season rains have caused crops of grass to spring up late, a disturbing reminder of 2007, the last time the region was rich in burnable fuel and the most recent year we suffered devastating wildfires. There is a chance that El Nino will bring some damper weather in July and August, but fire officials on both local and national levels aren’t taking any chances. Are you?

The 2012 Lockton Market Update, an insurance industry resource and information tool, has forecast a hardened property and casualty market this year due to the high number of natural disasters in 2011. What does that mean to the average homeowner? Unfortunately, premium prices could go up. Here at McCormick Insurance Solutions we are doing everything we can to offer you the most affordable San Diego home insurance possible, but we suggest you don’t wait long to secure a new policy or renew your current policy. Rates seem to be holding for now, but increases are expected.

If you are a homeowner, insurance isn’t really an option. It’s a necessity. We don’t want to dwell on the possibility of damage by wildfire or any other occurrence that might cause financial or personal loss, but we do want to encourage all San Diego homeowners to consider the possibility of natural disaster and prepare with a San Diego homeowners insurance policy. We hope that you never have to use it, but it would be far worse if you needed it and did not have it. Contact us today to learn more.