How Travel Insurance Can Help When You Live in a Hurricane Zone

Jimmy Buffett had it right: Trying to reason with hurricane season is no walk in the park. From Miami to Mobile to Manteo, Gulf and Atlantic Coast residents are all too familiar with the fears, tears and terrible damage hurricane season can bring.

However, while residents take precautionary measures to safeguard their homes, there’s one aspect of their lives they may be overlooking: their travel plans.

Imagine booking a trip to escape the stress of storm season, only to have your house severely damaged or find that your destination is in the path of an approaching hurricane, tropical storm or typhoon.

Travel protection can help you deal with the uncertainty of an increasingly potent hurricane season.

If you buy travel protection after or on the same day a storm is forecast, your plan will not provide coverage for storm-related claims. See our Storm Coverage Alerts or our article about Hurricanes and Travel Insurance for more information.

If you buy travel protection after or on the same day a storm is forecast, your plan will not provide coverage for storm-related claims. See our Storm Coverage Alerts for more information.

Here's a closer look at how travel insurance and assistance services can be invaluable when you live in a hurricane zone:

Trip Cancellation due to home damage

Your bags are packed and you're ready to go on that long-awaited vacation. But what if a hurricane hits just days before you leave, trashing your home and making it uninhabitable?

Dealing with storm-related home damage is incredibly stressful, especially when it’s compounded by things like power outages, water-supply disruptions, dealing with insurance companies, and finding contractors.

With all that on your plate, the thought of potentially losing all the money invested in your trip can be overwhelming.

Travel protection plans that include Trip Cancellation coverage – like those from Generali – can help by reimbursing you for prepaid, non-refundable trip expenses if your home has been made uninhabitable by a storm. Whether it’s your flight, hotel, or pre-booked tours, Generali may cover prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs if you need to cancel due to severe damage to your primary residence.

Also read: How Travel Protection Can Help When Climate Disasters Cause Travel Disruptions

Trip Interruption

There are a few ways a Generali travel protection plan can help if your trip is interrupted by a hurricane.

Let’s suppose this catastrophic damage to your home happened while you were on your trip.

You're thousands of miles away, alternately basking in the sun and feverishly checking your phone for the latest news, when a neighbor texts you that the worst has happened: Your home has been severely damaged in a hurricane.

Obviously, you want and need to get back to check the severity of the damage for yourself and get the recovery process going.

The Trip Interruption coverage included with Generali plans may cover up to the plan limit for the additional costs of changing your flight and getting home early, so you can be there when you have to be there, salvaging what you can and getting the recovery process going. It may also cover up to the plan limit for insured trip costs that weren’t used, like the hotel and prepaid spa package you miss out on.

The plans also include coverage for insured trip costs you can’t use when a mandatory evacuation is in effect, as long as the loss for your trip occurs within the first 30* calendar days after the mandatory evacuation order is issued. You may qualify for reimbursement for the remaining portion of your trip if you have 50%* or less—or 4* days or less—of your reservation left when the evacuation order is lifted at your destination.

We have purchased insurance for our trips many times. It is a small price to pay for peace of mind! We had to use it in 2018 due to a mandatory evacuation due to Hurricane Florence. This year we had an unexpected death in the family and had to use it. They were very understanding and we had our refund in a timely manner.

Carol M. from Pennsylvania

Destination in a hurricane path

Suppose your home is safe but your destination is under a hurricane threat. Say you've planned a trip from Florida to the Outer Banks, but a hurricane is forecast to visit at the same time.

A travel protection plan from Generali may provide coverage in these situations:

If the lodging at your destination is destroyed by a hurricane and you need to cancel your trip.
If a hurricane strikes your destination and the government issues a mandatory evacuation notice that is in effect during your scheduled trip.
If flights or other common carrier transportation are canceled due to adverse weather.

However, if you add Cancel for Any Reason coverage to your travel protection plan, you are eligible to cancel your trip and be reimbursed up to 60% of the penalty amount for your canceled trip.**

See more: Tips for Traveling in Hurricane Zones During Hurricane Season

Travel Delay due to weather events

Taking the previous example a little further, if disruption of travel to and from the Outer Banks leaves you waiting on a flight or other transportation, the Travel Delay coverage in your Generali Global Assistance policy can help cover unexpected additional expenses like meals, accommodations, and transportation.

The same coverage applies if you are evacuated during your trip due to adverse weather or a natural disaster. We encourage you to seek accommodations out of harm’s way—with the hope that you can return to your trip when the evacuation ends. You can then be reimbursed for certain out-of-pocket costs that took place during the evacuation.

Generali Global Assistances Premium Plan will pay up to $300 per person a day in covered expenses to a plan maximum of $1,000/person. Each plan includes a different minimum amount of time delayed in order to be reimbursed under the Travel Delay coverage.

Medical emergencies during hurricanes

You may not want to think about a medical emergency in the midst of a hurricane, but that’s a very real possibility. Whether you’re traveling stateside or internationally, the emergency medical provisions in a Generali Global Assistance travel protection plan can help.

If you’re injured in a hurricane while traveling, your medical expenses may be covered. If your injuries are severe enough that you have to be evacuated to the nearest suitable hospital, that can also be covered – up to $1 million with the Premium Plan.

Tips for hurricane zones

Act early: The sooner you buy travel protection, the better. If you buy travel protection after or on the same day a storm is named, your plan will not provide coverage for storm-related claims. See our Storm Coverage Alerts for more information.

But acting early can also mean checking out our hurricane risk map to see if your domestic destination is likely to be hit this season, and the long-range weather forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Read your plan documents: Not all travel insurance is the same, especially when it comes to how they cover cancellation and interruption due to a named storm. The best way to know what’s covered is to read your Plan Documents.
Documentation is key: If you have to make a claim, having the documentation that your home or destination is uninhabitable will go a long way toward making sure your claim is processed smoothly and accurately.