Placing Southern Tornadoes in a Northern Context

The Tornado in Joplin, Missouri last Sunday is officially the deadliest single tornado on record according to the National Weather Service. 156 people are still missing and the death toll is 132 and rising (WHDH).

It’s no surprise then that home sales in the South also dropped 17.2% due to the tornado disaster (Huffington Post).

Some clients ask if they are covered for damage caused by tornadoes since these occur way less often in New England than they do in the South. But the answer is yes, you are covered under your homeowner’s policy (HO3). Damage caused by tornado falls under the insurance on your policy for damage caused by wind/storm/hurricane.

Click here to find out how you can help those suffering from this disaster

 

 

 
UPDATE 6/3/2011: 

This article was written on the 27th, a few days before the tornado disaster in MA. I wanted to share some information on what to do in case of a loss:

Call us (your agent) at 781-871-5414 to report the loss. Take photos of the damage and do what you can to stop your home from being further damaged. Save all your receipts throughout the professional repair process so that way you may be reimbursed if the damage is severe enough to necessitate filing a claim.

You may also donate to assist those who have lost their homes in Massachusetts by donating online, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS, or by texting ‘REDCROSS’ to 90999 (donates $10). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did You Bike to Work Today?

Can you believe this guy made a bike out of old sneakers?

Did you know today is “Bike-to-Work” Day?

This past week was “Bike-to-Work” Week (May 16 to 20) and this whole month is “Bike-to-Work” Month– sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists. The whole cause seems to be linked to reducing your carbon footprint and encouraging healthier activities. Given that the average price of gas is teetering around $4.00/gallon, riding a bike might not be the worst idea. If you have a long commute, you could be spending $100/week — even if you drive a car that gets good mileage.

Eliza Barclay of NPR writes on“Bike-to-Work” Day today, emphasizing the animosity between automobile-drivers and bicyclists that she witnesses everyday. She also shares a link to the 5 most common collisions that occur between cars and bicycles and the best ways to avoid them. Click here to check it out.

Interested in who is considered more at fault? I was too. I checked into this at Mass.gov and I still don’t have the answer for you. What needs to be considered is comparative negligence. See more here.

Preaching Prom Safety

It’s that time of year again, folks. PROM SEASON for most of the schools in the area. NBA Insurance wants to take this time to provide some driving-safety tips for you to share with your sons and daughters who may be attending prom in the coming weeks.

• Make sure your teen has a safe ride home from the party whether it is another student (a designated driver) or a trusted adult. If your son or daughter needs a ride home really late at night, make yourself available for him or her.
• Some schools have started to put on alcohol-free events held immediately after prom using money raised from donations, grants and contributions from local businesses. Activities are left up to the senior class’ student government. It’s really just a good way for kids to dodge the crazy-party scene.
• Don’t get your sons and daughters a hotel room. It’s really a way of enabling them to drink and make potentially disastrous decisions.
• Don’t buy alcohol for your kids. It sounds like an obvious tip but it is something parents often overlook as being OK as long as they are present. 46 percent of teens nationwide say that by age 17, they’ve been to a party with alcohol and/or drugs where parents were present.
• Give a reasonable curfew to your teen if they plan to go to an after-party.
• Speak candidly and openly with your son or daughter about the risks associated with alcohol consumption (ie. binge drinking, the consequences of being caught drinking under-age, drunk-driving risks).
• Know your son or daughters’ friends in case you need to reach him or her and are unable to.

For more visit this link and this one too.  🙂