The Concerned Insured: 2012 Weather Forecast- Should We Be Worried?
(Make sure you check out the video at the bottom!)
A New Year’s Intro
It’s finally a new year. Resolutions have been made, fireworks have been put away for a while, and people are becoming concerned with what the end of this year will yield. With this worry comes the theory that following one of the most record-breaking years for damaging weather, 2012 may hold even more devastation than its predecessor. The people of the world are worrying, and so are insurance companies. But will it really be the end of the world? Well, we like to think it won’t be.
2011-2012: What’s the Weather Look Like?
2011 certainly has brought some intense weather that have taken many lives, and destroyed many more. People have been evacuated from their homes, lost their jobs due to shut downs from flooding, and lost loved ones. Some scientists say that with La Niña taking its course over the world, bringing cooler temperatures to Pacific waters, that it will bring about more cyclones and flooding to Australia who has already been hit pretty hard by fierce weather conditions. Then, as it clashes with warmer airs, there may be even more hurricanes and tropical storms during the season and with that, more flooding and destroyed homes. This past year when Irene took charge of the east coast, she took with her an estimated $10 Billion or more in economic losses. $10 billion that insurance companies have had to pay back to insured businesses, homes, vehicles and so much more.
So Is there Cause to worry?
Essentially, yes. But we wouldn’t call it worry, we would call it concern. As homeowners, property owners or anyone who has large tangible assets, it is your duty to be aware of your surroundings and your environment to make sure that you are safe, or at the very least prepared for anything that may come your way. The earth’s climate is changing, and people should be conscientious of that, and do what they can to protect themselves. Preparing your home for a hurricane, snow storm or wind storm by boarding up vulnerable windows and doors, or buying a generator for your home in case the power goes out are just a couple of precautions that can protect your belongings, or keep you warm in the winter. Doing your research before you plan on building a home on a flood plain is an easy way to make sure that your future is better protected from the unexpected. It is understandable that some do not have a choice as the place they live has been there for generations. But if you do not have insurance, or you are underinsured for the risk associated with your property, how are you going to pay out-of-pocket if the worst happens?
The World is Warmer, But Not Our Hearts.
The polar ice caps are shrinking in vastness and volume according to scientists. Experts are continuing to blame greenhouse gasses from industries and transportation, as well as deforestation and pollution. And Americans are quick to blame the other. Many have switched their light bulbs out for more efficient ones that save energy and money. Some of us drive hybrid cars to cut down on fuel consumption and emissions. Even fewer have solar panels for their homes to utilize the most powerful and renewable source of energy available to us on earth. We are seeing a change in how we use our technology and how we feel towards a changing global climate and economy. But we are far from perfect. It’s easy to blame other countries and cultures for their portion of emissions. Blaming them is not the way to make things better. Really, it is kind of ironic if you think about it. We drive hybrid cars and blame China and Japan for all of their emissions. And yet it is the Japanese who are producing these vehicles in their country and shipping them back to the US so that we can feel more secure about how we are “playing our part” to save the world. We don’t demand that there be a production of electric cars because a lot of people don’t see it as a sustainable or plausible alternative. There are tablets that can charge wirelessly using a docking station that isn’t plugged into a wall, so why can’t satellites transmit energy from what they harvest directly from the sun wirelessly?
It’s Not Us, Blame Them!
Blame Russia, blame China, blame the Middle East and oil-producing conglomerates. We can blame anyone we want, but laying blame is never going to accomplish anything. You want people to start driving electric cars? Commission police cruisers that are solely electric. Take government funding and improve them so that they can beat any sports car that runs on gasoline off the line. Make them perform better, travel further distances on a charge, and design them to visually “wow” onlookers. People will start to wonder: “Why does the government get to harvest this great technology, and we are all left in the proverbial dust?” They are going to start wanting that technology themselves and demand will grow. Soon there will be enough demand that manufacturers will see a positive outcome from investing in making available these vehicles to the private sector. More will be purchased, new designs will come out, demand will continue to grow, supply will also grow, and then these vehicles will become more affordable to all societal classes of any income. Hell, maybe every vehicle will run off of the power those satellites and even solar panels around the world generate, and power will be like radio signals, prolonging the life and charge of every battery/engine in the network. The government needs to make an example and create the trend, and the people will follow.
Stay on the Right Track
You don’t have to wait for your government to produce crazy new technologies that will better protect and serve you. Right now, you can do things yourself to make sure that your worldly possessions are kept safe, and your homes and families are prepared for the unexpected. So maybe some countries are more guilty than others, but we are all guilty, and the year is coming. So be ready, be smart, and prepare yourself, because the weatherman isn’t always right, and Mother Nature isn’t always predictable.
Oh, and don’t do stuff like this:
Interesting information. I wonder how practical a smart car would be in VT.
It all depends on what you would be using the car for. If you are just commuting using mainly highways, it might not be a bad idea. However, the Smart Car is quite small and is not made particularly for battling the winter conditions of Vermont. It is my hope that with new developments in transportation technology, that vehicles will not only be efficient, but also match up with (if not exceed) the useability of vehicles that run on fossil fuels today. If you are planning on purchasing a smart car for personal use, I’d say go for it. That being said, due to the compactness of the vehicle I would say that you would need to be extra careful when traveling. Just make sure you know what you are going to be up against for travel conditions before you make the final decision.
Touché, good sir.
Many people believe that just because they have insurance policies they are covered in case of any emergency but, of course, that is not the case. Insurance agents need to be more diligent in contacting their clients more frequently in order to review the policies with their clients, especially older clients.
Thank you for your comment Maryann. I agree with you completely that agents need to make sure to keep insureds informed about the risks that they need to be aware of. That is actually the main reason we started the blog. It’s a fun, convenient and interesting way to give clients information that they will find useful, which in turn will help them to make informed decisions when it comes to their insurance policies.
Many older clients have become complacent with the same bill, same agent and same policy they have had for years. Some don’t have any claims until something completely unexpected happens and catches them off guard. Because they’ve never had to go to their insurance company before to receive reimbursement for a loss, they are mostly unaware of what is/is not covered. When they realize that the risk is not covered, or that they do not have enough coverage to pay for all of the damages associated, the eyes are fixed on the agent for not outlining a more specific explanation of the insurance contract. From there, it is the agent’s duty to explain the “why’s” and “how’s.”
I am glad that you have mentioned this issue on our blog. We are working hard on getting these types of problems lessened by including things like flood insurance, hazards, or how-to’s. But most of all, we are trying to make it more fun and interesting for the readers through context and content. But we need your help.
If you have anything you’d like to see posted on our blog, let us know! We want to teach people everything they want to know so that if something happens, there can be some semblance of relief from lack of confusion.