Help Me Hank: Winter damage insurance

Lots of people are looking out the window and seeing disaster... The good news is, ice related damage is usually covered by homeowners and auto insurance policies. On our website, some of you asked me insurance questions and here are some answers.

Ice covered trees toppled onto cars, fences and homes --Destruction and damage top to bottom.

One viewer asked:

Is the cleanup of fallen trees covered on homeowners insurance?

Some policies will cover the cost of removing fallen trees from your yard, and will even pay to replace food that spoiled in power outages and cover emergency housing. That usually costs extra, so check with your agent to see what your policy covers.

Another question:

A tree fell on our convertible car and the top is ripped in 5 places. Will the auto insurance or home insurance cover this?

Comprehensive Coverage from your auto insurance policy covers any kind of damage to your car. So call your auto insurance agent or company.

Another question:

Does homeowners insurance cover frozen pipes?

Not always.

Frozen pipes may not be covered if damage is due to your negligence.

 And here's what anyone with damage needs to know:

*Take pictures

*Call your insurance agent or company as soon as possible

*Make a detailed list of everything that was damaged

*If possible, try to wait to schedule repairs after the claim has been settled with your insurance company

*If emergency repairs are needed, keep all your bills

*Get names and contact information of any witnesses

*If the police or fire department showed up, get copies of their reports.

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