DDM advises residents to look into renter’s insurance

One of the houses damaged during Hurricane Irma back in 2017.

As the territory moves further into the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season, Acting Director for the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) Jasen Penn is urging residents to look into renters’ insurance to protect belongings if destroyed in a hurricane.

Penn noted that while a lot of properties in the territory are rented and the landlords may have insurance for their property, the insurance may not cover items owned by the renter.

“[Owners must] ensure that the tenants actually understand that, ‘hey, my property may be insured to cover my building but it’s not covering the contents of yours that is within my actual establishment’,” Penn said.

“So those tenants themselves may be where they can be encouraged to seek out and see if there’s some type of renter’s insurance that would cover their belongings in the event something like that would happen. I guess some of these conversations would need to be had,” the Acting Director added.

Penn also advised homeowners to check their insurance and see what it covers and the amount in payouts they would receive in case of their property is damaged during a hurricane. He noted that after the devastation of Hurricane Irma and Maria in 2017, many homeowners tried to make claims for damage and they were informed by their provider their insurance was underinsured.

“One of the things we did earlier this year with a number of different insurance companies [were forums]. I believe if persons were to visit the … GIS information page, that particular forum was taped. It captured quite a bit of information in there in terms of insurance, so persons can visit, and they can check that particular taping. I think it is still there on Facebook,” Penn said.

Drakes_650x200