Beyond Insurance: A Financial Preparedness Checklist for Hurricane Season

We talk a lot about insurance during hurricane season, and for good reason — it's often the biggest financial exposure a family has. But insurance is only one piece of being financially prepared for a storm. Here's the fuller picture I walk through with clients every year.

Nou pale anpil sou asirans pandan sezon siklòn, epi pou bon rezon — se souvan pi gwo ekspozisyon finansye yon fanmi genyen. Men asirans se sèlman yon moso nan prepare finansyèman pou yon tanpèt. Men tablo pi konplè mwen fè ak kliyan yo chak ane.

1. Build (or Check) Your Emergency Fund

1. Bati (oswa Tcheke) Fon Ijans Ou

If a storm hits, you may be without income, without access to your home, or facing unexpected expenses — evacuation costs, temporary housing, replacing spoiled food, generator fuel — all before any insurance claim is settled. A general guideline is having 3 to 6 months of essential expenses set aside, but even a smaller cushion is better than none.

Si yon tanpèt frape, ou ka san revni, san aksè nan kay ou, oswa fè fas ak depans san atann — depans evakyasyon, lojman tanporè, ranplase manje gate, gaz jeneratè — tout sa anvan nenpòt reklamasyon asirans regle. Yon gid jeneral se genyen 3 a 6 mwa depans esansyèl mete sou kote, men menm yon ti kousen pi bon pase okenn.

2. Get Your Financial Documents Organized — and Accessible

2. Òganize Dokiman Finansye Ou — epi Aksesib

If you had to evacuate right now, could you grab your important documents in five minutes? Consider putting together a digital folder (encrypted, backed up in the cloud) with: insurance policy numbers and your agent's contact info, copies of IDs, passports, and Social Security cards, bank account and financial institution information, property deed or mortgage documents, and a recent home inventory with photos or video.

Si ou te dwe evakye kounye a, èske ou ta ka pran dokiman enpòtan ou nan senk minit? Konsidere mete ansanm yon dosye dijital (chifre, sovgade nan nwaj la) ak: nimewo kontra asirans ak enfòmasyon kontak ajan ou, kopi ID, paspò, ak kat Sekirite Sosyal, enfòmasyon kont labank ak enstitisyon finansye, dokiman akt pwopriyete oswa ipotèk, ak yon envantè kay resan ak foto oswa videyo.

3. Know Your Full Deductible Picture

3. Konnen Tablo Konplè Dediktib Ou

Beyond your standard homeowners deductible, know your separate hurricane deductible (often 2-5% of your home's insured value) and understand exactly when it applies — it only kicks in for a named storm, not general wind or water damage outside of that.

Pi lwen pase dediktib pwopriyetè kay estanda ou, konnen dediktib siklòn separe ou (souvan 2-5% valè asire kay ou) epi konprann egzakteman lè li aplike — li sèlman aktive pou yon tanpèt ki gen non, pa domaj van oswa dlo jeneral deyò sa.

4. Review Your Business Continuity Plan (If You're Self-Employed or a Business Owner)

4. Revize Plan Kontinwite Biznis Ou (Si Ou Travay pou Tèt Ou oswa Pwopriyetè Biznis)

If your income depends on a business, ask yourself: What happens to cash flow if I can't operate for two weeks? Do I have business interruption coverage? Are my business records backed up somewhere other than a physical office? A lot of business owners think about property damage but forget about the income gap that follows.

Si revni ou depann sou yon biznis, mande tèt ou: Kisa k ap pase ak likidite si m pa ka opere pou de semèn? Èske m gen kouvèti entèripsyon biznis? Èske dosye biznis mwen sovgade yon lòt kote pase yon biwo fizik? Anpil pwopriyetè biznis panse sou domaj pwopriyete men bliye sou vid revni ki swiv.

5. Understand What Federal and State Assistance Does (and Doesn't) Cover

5. Konprann Sa Asistans Federal ak Eta Kouvri (ak Sa Li Pa Kouvri)

FEMA assistance and other disaster relief programs exist, but they're not a substitute for insurance, and they often have caps far below what it costs to fully rebuild. Treat any government assistance as a supplement to your own preparedness, not the primary plan.

Asistans FEMA ak lòt pwogram sekou dezas egziste, men yo pa yon ranplasman pou asirans, epi yo souvan gen limit byen anba sa li koute pou rebati konplètman. Trete nenpòt asistans gouvènman kòm yon siplemantè pou pwòp preparasyon ou, se pa plan prensipal la.

6. Have a Plan for Tax Documentation, Too

6. Gen yon Plan pou Dokimantasyon Taks, Tou

If your home or business is damaged, you may be able to claim a casualty loss deduction, but that requires documentation of your losses. Photos, receipts, and appraisals taken before and after a storm can matter significantly if you need to file for a casualty loss later.

Si kay oswa biznis ou domaje, ou ka kapab reklame yon dediksyon pèt aksidan, men sa mande dokimantasyon pèt ou yo. Foto, resi, ak evalyasyon pran anvan ak apre yon tanpèt ka enpòtan anpil si ou bezwen depoze pou yon pèt aksidan pita.