As Tropical Storm Helene churns towards Florida, insurance coverage consultants at AAA – The Auto Membership Group are offering essential recommendation to assist residents put together their households and property.
“Now could be the time to assemble provides, fortify your property and doc your belongings,” mentioned Jennifer Pintacuda, President of AAA’s Florida-based insurance coverage suppliers. “It’s additionally essential to gather your insurance coverage coverage info and cellphone numbers to your agent and supplier, so that you’ll know who to contact if you might want to file a declare.”
AAA supplies the next insurance coverage recommendation:
- Evaluate your property insurance coverage insurance policies. Contact your supplier to make sure you have satisfactory protection for any damages. When you do not need flood insurance coverage, it’s too late to get a brand new coverage for this storm.
- Examine your auto insurance coverage coverage to make sure you have “complete” protection. This helps with automobile harm like flooding or if a tree falls on it.
- Retailer essential paperwork in a transportable waterproof container. Paperwork may embrace insurance coverage coverage info, beginning certificates, social safety playing cards, and extra.
- Take Stock. Doc your belongings by strolling by way of your property with a video digicam or good cellphone. Hold a document of huge purchases together with the price of the merchandise, buy date, and mannequin and serial numbers.
- Strengthen your property. Trim bushes close to your own home. Guarantee you’ve gotten supplies to make sandbags and board up home windows, if needed. Usher in unfastened objects like patio furnishings, bikes and kids’s toys – which may all flip into harmful projectiles in sturdy winds.
- Be proactive. Defend your automobile from flood waters. If you’re in an space that’s vulnerable to flooding, take into account parking your automobile at a storage, buddy’s home, or decrease danger space during the storm.
Security Suggestions for Drivers
“AAA urges drivers to comply with the recommendation of native officers and keep off the street if situations are unsafe,” mentioned Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA – The Auto Membership Group. “It’s additionally essential to be affected person and courteous of others on the street. Tensions are more likely to be excessive with an approaching storm, however getting in a crash or different battle would make issues worse.”
Suggestions for Evacuees
- Go away early so you aren’t in a rush
- Keep away from distractions whereas driving
- Decelerate
Driving within the Rain
Attempt to keep away from driving whereas the storm passes by way of. When you have to be on the street, comply with these security ideas:
- Flip your headlights on so you’ll be able to see and be seen by different drivers.
- Decelerate. Even new tires can lose contact with the roadway at speeds as little as 35 mph.
- Enhance your following distance. Moist roads require extra time to decelerate and cease.
- Don’t use cruise management. The possibility of shedding management of the automobile will increase when used on moist roads.
- Keep away from hydroplaning by driving within the tracks of the automobile in entrance of you and letting off the accelerator when approaching puddles. Additionally keep away from exhausting braking or sharp turns.
- By no means drive by way of standing water. It could be deeper than you suppose and concealing potholes, sharp objects, or different hazards that might harm your automobile.
When Visibility is Low
- Don’t drive along with your hazard lights on. Hazard lights are supposed to signify a disabled automobile. Utilizing them whereas driving may confuse different motorists.
- Get off the street. When driving on metropolis streets, pull right into a protected place like a gasoline station or grocery retailer car parking zone till situations enhance.
- Take the closest exit. When driving on the interstate, don’t simply cease on the shoulder or below a bridge. In case your visibility is compromised, different drivers could also be struggling too.
If Your Automobile Stalls in Rising Waters
- Don’t try and restart the automobile. This might trigger additional harm to the engine and elements.
- Escape the automobile instantly and transfer to increased floor or a protected location.
If Rising Water Surrounds your Parked Automobile
- Assess the harm. The severity of the harm will rely on how excessive the water obtained. If the water stayed beneath your doorways, your automobile probably didn’t maintain a lot harm.
- If water DID rise above the underside of your doorways:
- Don’t try and restart the automobile. Doing so may enable water to get inside your engine, inflicting irreversible harm.
- Don’t open the door till the water degree is beneath the door jam.
- If water entered the automobile inside, use a moist vac to take away it.
Put together your Automobile for Extreme Climate
Understanding how one can drive in extreme climate is equally as essential as guaranteeing your automobile can carry out in opposed situations. AAA encourages drivers to see if the next objects are in correct working order:
Windshield Wipers
Substitute windshield wipers that depart streaks or don’t clear the glass in a single swipe. Don’t forget the wiper in your rear window when you’ve got one. The lifetime of a rubber insert is usually six to 12 months.
Lights
Make certain all headlights, taillights, brake lights and switch alerts are correctly functioning to make certain different drivers will see you throughout downpours.
Tires
Tire tread and inflation ranges are crucial to sustaining good traction on the street. Examine the tire pressures (together with the spare) a minimum of as soon as a month when the tires are chilly. At all times comply with the inflation stress suggestions in your proprietor’s guide, or these on the driving force’s door jamb.
Go to AAA.com/AutoRepair to discover a record of licensed mechanics in your space to make sure your automobile is prepared for the street.