How to Prepare for Severe Weather

by COUNTRY Financial

Severe weather events, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail and wind storms, can cause significant damage to homes. Understanding what your homeowners insurance is designed to cover, what's excluded, and how to prepare both your home and your insurance coverage can help you respond more effectively if severe weather strikes your area.

A Spring 2023 COUNTRY Financial survey found that about one in four homeowners has experienced storm-related property damage, with the heaviest impact in the South (29%) and the least in the West (14%). Among homeowners who haven't experienced damage, about one in three are concerned it could happen in the future.

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What home insurance covers for severe weather

Standard homeowners insurance is designed to help address damage from most severe weather events, though what applies depends on your specific policy and the circumstances of the loss. The examples below illustrate the kinds of damage this coverage is generally designed to address:

Covered weather perils:

Wind damage:

Roof damage from high winds
Siding torn off by wind
Broken windows from wind-driven debris
Damaged gutters and downspouts
Trees or branches that fall on your home due to wind

Hail damage:

Roof damage from hail impact
Broken windows or skylights
Dented siding, gutters or exterior fixtures (note: some policies exclude cosmetic damage to metal roofs and roofing components)
Damage to outdoor structures (sheds, fences)

Lightning damage:

Fire caused by lightning strikes
Power surge damage to electronics and appliances, though coverage can depend on where the surge or strike originated (on your property or elsewhere)
Structural damage from direct lightning strikes

Tornado damage:

Structural damage to your home
Roof and wall damage
Broken windows and doors
Damage from debris impact

Heavy rain and water damage:

Water damage from rain entering through wind-damaged roof or walls
Water damage from backed-up gutters (if sudden and accidental)

What's typically NOT covered:

Flood damage: Requires separate flood insurance through NFIP
Earthquake damage: Requires earthquake endorsement
Sewer backup: Requires sewer backup endorsement
Gradual damage: Wear and tear, maintenance issues
Preventable damage: Damage from deferred maintenance or neglect

Review your specific policy to understand what's included and what endorsements you may need based on your location's weather risks.

Prepare for severe weather

When you're in the path of a severe storm, you don't want to be gathering supplies and making plans to keep your family safe. Having a plan in place can help make a stressful situation less overwhelming. Consider these emergency preparedness tips.

Have an emergency plan

Depending on the type of weather emergency, you may need to go to the safest place in your home or follow evacuation orders of local authorities.

Find the most-secure place in your home

For storms and tornadoes that threaten the structure of your home, plan to seek shelter in the safest place in your home. That could be a basement, crawl space, internal closet or bathtub.

Know where you'll go if evacuated

If you had to leave your home in an extreme weather emergency, where would you go? Identify family members or friends who live far enough away from you to get beyond the path of a hurricane, wildfire or other types of natural disaster. Tell them you'd like to include them in your emergency evacuation plan and make sure they're willing to take you in.

Communicate the plan

Once you have a plan, make sure your family understands what will happen in an emergency. If you have young children, show them how to take shelter in your home or tell them about your plan to stay safe in a weather emergency.

Build an emergency preparedness kit

Put together a supply of essentials and safety items in an emergency kit to help prepare for a storm, power outage or other disaster. It's easy to do when you know what to include.

Start with the basics

A three-to-five-day supply of bottled water and nonperishable food
Battery-operated flashlight
Battery-operated radio and NOAA Weather Radio
Extra batteries for the flashlight and radio
A first-aid kit
Extra cell phone charger or battery source for your phone
Personal hygiene items
Blankets or sleeping bags

Get more tips at Ready.gov.

Gather important personal information

Phone numbers of neighbors, family and friends (or make sure they are in your phone contacts)
Insurance and property information (we make that info available in the COUNTRY Financial mobile app)
Phone numbers of utility companies
Medical information
Know where to get critical documents like birth certificates

Severe weather coverage at a glance

Weather event	Typically covered	Not covered	Special considerations
Wind storms	Roof, siding, window damage	Flood from storm surge	May have separate wind deductible; loss settlement type (Actual Cash Value vs. replacement cost) also affects the payout
Hail	Roof, siding, windows	Cosmetic damage (some policies)	May have separate wind deductible; loss settlement type (Actual Cash Value vs. replacement cost) also affects the payout
Tornadoes	All wind-related structural damage	Flood water if tornado causes flooding	Covered under wind peril
Lightning	Fire, power surge, structural damage	Electronic failures unrelated to surge	Power surge coverage can depend on where the strike originated (on or off your property)
Hurricanes	Wind damage to structure	Flooding, storm surge	Requires flood insurance for water damage; coastal policies may also carry a separate Named Storm Deductible
Heavy rain	Water through damaged roof	Ground water flooding	Only if entering through storm-created opening
Ice storms	Roof collapse, tree damage, frozen pipe bursts if Freezing is a selected peril	Pipe damage from long-term neglect of freezing risk	Freezing is a peril you select on your policy, not a separate endorsement; confirm it's included

How to file a storm damage claim

If your home is damaged by severe weather, filing a claim promptly can help start the repair process:

Immediate steps after storm damage:

Ensure safety first - Don't enter your home if it appears structurally unsafe. Call 911 if there are injuries or immediate dangers.
Document the damage - Take photos and video of all damage from multiple angles before making any repairs or cleanup. Document roof damage, broken windows, water intrusion, damaged siding, downed trees and any other visible damage.
Make temporary repairs - Take reasonable steps to prevent further damage such as tarping damaged roof areas, boarding broken windows or turning off water if pipes are damaged. Save all receipts for materials and temporary repairs, these may be reimbursable.
Contact your insurance company - File your claim as soon as possible:
- Call 866-COUNTRY (866-268-6879)
- File online through your COUNTRY Financial account
- Use the COUNTRY Financial mobile app
- Contact your local representative
Meet with the adjuster - A claims adjuster will inspect the damage and provide a repair estimate based on your coverage.
Get repair estimates - You can choose your own contractor. Get multiple estimates if desired.
Complete repairs - Once approved, proceed with permanent repairs. You'll pay your deductible, and insurance is designed to help cover the remaining costs up to your coverage limits.

What information to have ready when filing:

Policy number
Date and time of the storm
Description of damage
Photos or video of damage
List of damaged items with estimated values
Receipts for temporary repairs

Timeline expectations:

How long a storm damage claim takes to process depends heavily on the extent of the damage and contractor availability, and can take longer after major storms affect many homes at once due to higher claim volumes.

Review your home insurance

Make sure you have the right homeowners insurance coverage in case your home is damaged in a weather event, especially with higher costs for building supplies for home renovations/repair.

According to our recent survey, American homeowners seem to be taking some steps to prepare for severe weather. More than three in four homeowners (77%) say they have enough money to cover their home insurance deductible if they experience major damage to their home, and eight in ten (82%) say they have their important documents organized.

But while homeowners are taking some steps, there's more many would like to do. Three in four homeowners surveyed said they'd like to take additional steps to prepare, such as:

creating an inventory of possessions (42%),
saving more money for emergencies (34%),
reviewing or becoming more familiar with their home insurance policy (20%), or
increasing their home insurance coverage (12%).

Schedule time with your insurance agent to review your home insurance. After the storm is not the time to learn your home protection will not provide the coverage you need.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, standard homeowners insurance is designed to help cover most types of storm damage including wind damage, hail damage, lightning strikes and damage from falling trees or branches during storms. This typically includes repairs to your roof, siding, windows and interior damage caused by the storm (such as water entering through a wind-damaged roof). However, flood damage from rising water is not covered by standard homeowners insurance and requires separate flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Homeowners insurance typically covers damage from wind, hail, lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes (wind damage only, not flood), falling trees or branches, ice and snow weight on roof and water damage from rain entering through storm-damaged roof or walls. Coverage is designed to help pay for repairs to your home's structure, replacement of damaged personal property, temporary housing if your home becomes uninhabitable (additional living expenses), and debris removal. Coverage limits and deductibles apply, and some policies may have separate wind/hail deductibles in high-risk areas.

Yes, wind and hail damage are typically covered perils under standard homeowners insurance policies. This includes roof damage from wind or hail impact, broken windows, damaged siding or gutters and structural damage to your home. However, some policies in high-wind or hail-prone areas may have separate, higher deductibles specifically for wind and hail claims (often percentage-based rather than flat dollar amounts). Review your policy to understand your specific wind/hail deductible and whether you have any coverage limitations for these perils.

To file a storm damage claim: First, document the damage with photos or video before making temporary repairs. Contact COUNTRY Financial by calling 866-COUNTRY (866-268-6879), filing online through your account, or using the mobile app. Provide your policy number, date of the storm, description of damage and photos if available. Make temporary repairs to prevent further damage (save receipts, these may be reimbursable). A claims adjuster will inspect the damage and provide an estimate. Choose a contractor for repairs (you're not required to use a specific company). Pay your deductible, and your insurance is designed to help cover the remaining repair costs up to your coverage limits.

After storm damage, take these steps: ensure everyone is safe and call 911 if there are injuries; document damage with photos and video before cleanup; make temporary repairs to prevent further damage (tarps on roof, board broken windows) and save receipts; contact your insurance company as soon as possible to file a claim; don't make permanent repairs until an adjuster has inspected the damage; keep damaged items for the adjuster to inspect (don't throw away unless they pose safety hazard); and save all receipts related to temporary repairs, hotel stays or other expenses. Most policies have time limits for reporting damage, so contacting your insurer promptly is important.

Yes, tornado damage is typically covered under standard homeowners insurance policies. Tornadoes are covered under the wind peril, so damage to your home's structure, roof, windows and personal property from tornadic winds is designed to be covered. This includes damage from the tornado itself and from debris impact. However, if you're in a tornado-prone area, check whether your policy has a separate wind deductible, which may be higher than your standard deductible. Your local representative can explain how coverage would apply to tornado damage based on your specific policy.

Homeowners insurance typically covers wind damage from hurricanes but does NOT cover flood damage. Hurricane wind damage to your roof, walls, windows and contents is generally covered. However, water damage from storm surge, flooding or rising water requires separate flood insurance. Many coastal policies have separate hurricane, wind or Named Storm deductibles (often 1-5% of dwelling coverage) that are higher than standard deductibles. If you're in a hurricane-prone area, review both your homeowners policy and whether you need flood insurance to ensure complete protection.

In areas prone to severe storms, many insurance policies include separate, higher deductibles specifically for wind and hail claims. These are often percentage-based (1%, 2% or 5% of your dwelling coverage amount) rather than flat dollar amounts. For example, with a 2% wind/hail deductible on a home insured for $300,000, you would pay $6,000 out-of-pocket before insurance coverage applies to wind or hail damage. Check your policy declarations page or ask your representative whether you have separate wind/hail deductibles and what they are.

Published 9-3-26

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Start a quote or call us at 866-COUNTRY (866-268-6879). Find out more about home insurance.

Your insurance agent is there to help

Contact your rep or call us at 866-COUNTRY (866-268-6879). Find out more about home insurance.

Find a local rep

¹The COUNTRY Financial Security Index® survey of 1,031 U.S. adults, fielded by market researcher Ipsos.

COUNTRY Financial® is a family of affiliated companies (collectively, COUNTRY) located in Bloomington, IL. Learn more about who we are.

We take pride in providing accurate, truthful information in our articles. See our editorial standards to learn more.

Home insurance policies issued by COUNTRY Mutual Insurance Company®, COUNTRY Casualty Insurance Company® or COUNTRY Preferred Insurance Company®, Bloomington, IL.

The descriptions provided are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to constitute an insurance policy or to modify, amend or extend the terms, conditions or coverages of any insurance policy. Coverage, terms, limitations and exclusions vary. For complete details, please refer to the applicable insurance policy or contact a COUNTRY Financial representative.

How to Prepare for Severe Weather

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