Home Generator Considerations

Not sure when, but there is a storm coming.  Are you ready for the next Georgia Hurricane?  You can beat the storm , but it takes a little advance planning.  Storm Preparedness.
There’s a storm coming! Are you prepared?

One issue that may arise because of storms, extreme heat or natural catastrophe is the loss of electrical power. While power outages are often, merely a nuisance, extended power interruptions can cause problems ranging from loss of perishables (particularly frozen and refrigerated foods), damage to property that is vulnerable to temperature extremes, and personal endangerment caused by overheating or freezing.

In Indiana and Kentucky tornado safety and  storm planning is a must.  Storm preparedness is a must.
Even if your home isn’t hit,
you could go days without electricity.

Many homeowners who, for various reasons, are prone to suffering power loss, use an option to protect themselves; home generators. Such generators are capable of temporarily supplying electrical power to run household appliances and utilities. Home generators come in two basic forms:

Portable Generators.   Even if your home isn't hit directly, you still may find yourself with power for days, maybe weeks.  A key step to storm safety, generators.
Having a portable generator a key step in becoming storm ready!
  • Portable Generators – lower-powered units that operate externally from a home’s wiring system.
  • Standby Generators – high-power units that are attached directly to a home’s wiring system and which takes over automatically when utility power is interrupted

Regardless the type, it is critical to take proper precautions to make sure that no harm or injury results from their use.

With standby generators, installation should be performed by a licensed electrician and installations should be inspected by authorized persons before initial use. Installations should include a proper transfer switch and local utilities should be notified that an installation has occurred. Transfer switches insure that electrical power is properly and safely switched from the generator to a utility supply when power is restored.

Portable generators have a host of procedures that should be adhered to, such as the following:

  • generators should be located outside the home, in an area that provides proper ventilation and which shields the unit from moisture
  • generators should NOT be located near window or doors since carbon monoxide exhaust could seep into a home
  • care must be taken to prevent burns due to contact with hot generator parts
  • generators should never be plugged into house outlets. This can cause back feeds which results in damaging wiring and endangering utility company personnel (backed power can be transmitted through power lines at fatal power levels)
  • proper, exterior-rated cords should be the only kinds used with generators
  • generator power should be matched with essential power needs (core appliances, heating/cooling) and not overloaded (which could damage the generator and powered appliances, etc.)
  • fuel for generators should be stored properly and refueling should take place ONLY after the generator has cooled after being turned off

Generators can be a tremendous method to compensate for temporary power outages but care must be taken to be sure they don’t generate more problems than solutions.


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Tornado Shelters

Tornado season is in full swing. Are you ready?

Homes may be built with solid craftsmanship and with the use of the best materials, but most residences offer little to no protection against a common hazard…..tornadoes. Recently, homeowners have begun to embrace the use of tornado shelters. Before discussing this protection method, here is some background information.

In the U.S., tornadoes most often occur in the Midwest, Plains and Southern states. Tornadoes are created by thunderstorm fronts where moist, warm air meets moving cool fronts. Winds first form a horizontal rotation that is lifted upwards by warm air. When the rotating column is tilted high enough, it becomes a tornado.

Tornadoes can occur anywhere and at any time, but the peak season is in late spring through the summer. Wind speeds range from less than 100 to +250 mph. The stronger the storm, the longer its lifespan (generally 10-15 minutes). The damage path of a hurricane is usually narrow and short, but they can be as large as a mile in width and travel tens of miles. Tornado damage can be substantial as the winds and wind-carried debris are powerful enough to demolish buildings.

When a tornado threatens a home, the safest response is to get to the lowest and innermost space; away from all doors and windows. Basements and cellars are ideal, but these features are not found in most homes. In the past, it was common to equip homes with storm cellars, located adjacent to home, to protect against severe storm winds. Today, in response to the need for more protection, there has been a revival in the use of tornado shelters.

Tornado shelters offer the best protection .  Buried, reinforced safe rooms that  can be designed to fit your needs.
Christie England stands in the storm shelter in front of the remains of her home May 27, 2013, in Moore, Okla. England’s home was destroyed in the May 20, 2013, EF-5 tornado that ripped through Moore. The storm killed 24, injured hundreds and damaged thousands of homes. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Bradley C. Church)

Tornado shelter are, essentially, reinforced safe rooms, ranging from regular room size, down to small enclosures that are fitted within closets or garages. They may even, like storm cellars of old, be buried in the ground. They are constructed of reinforced metal walls that are, ideally, bolted to a cement floor. Such structures are capable of staying intact even when the surrounding structure is obliterated by tornado winds. Shelters are designed to accommodate a typical family and may cost several thousand dollars.

While shelters do little to protect a residence, they do respond to the most important issue, increasing the chance that residents can survive a tornado and rebuild.


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Farms And Incidental Business

Incidental farm businesses may include but are not limited to daycare, petting zoos, horse rides, gift shops, produces stands, repair shops and more.

Other than agribusiness ventures, farms are unusual because smaller operations tend to face a mixed bag of loss exposures. Some exposures are common to businesses while others are exposures that are often faced by homeowners. This hybrid combination of exposures is due to the fact that smaller farms are usually run by families that also live on the farm premises. However, often only some of the family members are devoted full-time to their own farm’s operation.

As has always been the case, securing significant, steady income and profits from farming is very difficult. Therefore, the farm family may choose to supplement its main farm activity by operating other projects on their premises. Some may be related to their farming such as:

·         Running a petting zoo area with some of the farm’s livestock

·         Offering horse rides

·         Operating a gift shop or produce stand

·         Performing canning operations for other parties’ produce

·         Operating a repair shop for small farm equipment

In many cases, farmers can insure incidental business operations under their farm insurance policy.

A farm may also involve other, non-farm projects, such as:

·         Operating a daycare service

·         Fee-assisted aid to other farmers on applying for grants and loans

·         Operating a small accounting service

·         Hosting a subscription newsletter service

·         Operating a pottery studio in a converted farm barn

In most instances, the farm owner may be able to arrange for additional coverage to be added to the farm policy in order to handle losses connected to the given business operation. Typically, a precise description of the business such as: “Johnson Family Produce Cleaning and Canning Operation” is necessary. For an additional charge to the policy, the farm owner can be protected against loss to property that is used in the described business, such as a fire in a separate, converted barn that houses an accounting service run by the farmer’s spouse. It may also offer liability coverage. Consider the following:

Example: Sara “Granny” Smith owns a large apple orchard. She used to make cider and fruit juice manufacturing company. Since she still owns the building and equipment she used to make her own product, Sara begins a small operation (called “Granny’s Pressings”) to process the apples grown by several neighboring apple farmers. This “side juice from her own crop but she now has an agreement to sell all her apples to the region’s largest business” brings in about $7,000 a year, compared to the nearly $76,000 she takes in from selling her apple crop to the juice manufacturer. Sara’s cousin and insurance agent tell her that she won’t be covered for any damages resulting from “Granny’s Pressings” unless she adds additional coverage for this side-business. He convinces Sara by pointing out claim situations such as:

·         a neighbor who slips on apple remnants while carrying a bushel of apples onto Sara’s property to be pressed into cider;

·         child from a nearby town who becomes ill after drinking cider pressed at Granny’s that were contaminated with oil used to lubricate the manufacturing machinery;

·         Sara packages a truckload of cider for a neighbor but the neighbor is unable to sell it to any stores because the inferior plastic bottles developed hairline cracks.

If you happen to run a farm that also contains other business activities, it’s important that you discuss the situation with your agent and find the best option for covering the additional source of loss.


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what country, state or territory, is expressly forbidden without written
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Farm and Ranch Coverage

Unique farm risk require specialized insurance policies.  Complicating things even further is that many farmers have have a very limited  number of insurance options.

Farms and ranches differ from other business operations since, at least with small to medium operations, the owner both conducts his business and lives with his entire family on the same premises. Therefore, a farm or ranch has a combination of commercial and personal loss exposures that must be properly insured.

One coverage method might be to use commercial policies to handle the business needs and personal (auto, home, recreational vehicle, etc.) policies to tackle the personal needs. However, such a combination of policies would be awkward and expensive. Further, the method would allow a large number of coverage gaps and overlaps. A much better approach would be to use a product that satisfies all potential coverage needs in a single policy.

The differences among various farm and ranch operations certainly complicate the task of finding proper coverage. Successful farmers and ranchers tend to be specialists, yet are flexible in order to run efficient operations. Fortunately, farms and ranches have a number of elements that are common to all operations, so products have been developed for this challenging market.

One standard farm program uses a cafeteria approach to offer coverage. The owner of a farm or ranch operation may choose to have only Farm Property and Farm Inland Marine Forms to address the property coverages, but use the Commercial General Liability Forms for the liability coverage exposures. They may choose to use the Farm Umbrella or a Commercial Umbrella with a Farm Endorsement. A Homeowners policy may be used on the dwelling but a Farm property coverage form on everything else.

Options are an important feature of a good farm program. The following, basic coverages are widely available:

  •    The Farm Property Policy – covers farm-related buildings (residence, barns, sheds, silos, etc.)
  •    The Farm Inland Marine Policy – covers farm-related machinery and equipment
  •   The Farm Liability Policy – protects against damage or injury caused by farming/ranching activities
  •  The Farm Umbrella Policy – provides a higher level of liability protection
  • The Farm Combination Policy– offers a way to bundle stand-alone farm/ranch coverages into a single package

The more flexibility offered by a program, the greater the chance that an insurance professional can assist a farmer or rancher with developing an effective insurance plan.


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