What you need to know about earthquake insurance

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Odessa, TX (COSA) – With the recent number of earthquakes here in West Texas some may be concerned, is my house covered?

Friday’s 5.4-magnitude earthquake in Midland was reportedly the fourth largest on record not only in West Texas, but throughout Texas.

An earthquake of this magnitude can lead to structural damage to people’s homes.

Many viewers have sent us pictures like this, of cracks in the ceilings, leading some of them to wonder, is my house covered in earthquakes?

Therefore, earthquake coverage has not always been available for home insurance policies. It was only two years ago that insurers started allowing these coverages to be added,” said Crystal Fiscino, insurance agent for the Copeland Group

If you are adding something new to a policy, it is important to know exactly what is covered.

“From my experience with the companies we serve here in the Copeland Group, most of them only cover a catastrophic event. You won’t see a lot of coverage of earthquakes specifically covering a small crack in the foundation or a small crack in the wall itself,” Viscaino said.

And while your insurance may not cover this small fraction, it’s still important for you to let your insurance know.

So, home insurance usually depends on the condition of each accident. So, one incident in January would be a different claim than one in March. But because of the damage to your structure, you want to get it in with your insurance provider or agent and let them have that information up front so you can work out the specifics of how to proceed,” Viscaino said.

Viscaino suggests calling your homeowner’s insurance provider sooner rather than later so you know where you’re covered.

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