YOU'RE BADLY HURT

If you were in a car accident and severely injured, perhaps in a coma, your doctor is obligated to determine if you have "sufficient mental capacity" to manage your "financial affairs." If not, he is duty bound to send a notice to the government.

This means that the government will automatically take over control of your assets, regardless if you have a spouse or children capable of managing your finances. This is also the case where a mental disorder, such as Alzheimer's, befalls either you or your spouse.

You need to assign a POWER OF ATTORNEY for your "Financial Affairs" and the "Personal Care" you are to receive if injured or sick, when you are not able to make those decisions for yourself.

If you have not done this, the government automatically steps in and your family members will have NO control.

TORNADO - A Warning

VEHICLE INSURANCE

Most of the storm damage to vehicles will be from "hail" or "rising water." Both of these are covered under your auto insurance, subject to your deductible, as long as you have purchased "comprehensive" coverage. Tree limbs, branches or other falling objects are also covered under the comprehensive coverage of your policy.

HOME INSURANCE

Flooding: Most of the storm damage to homes was caused by water flooding basements. Flood coverage is excluded.

If the water came into your basement through the walls or cracks in the floor, there is no protection against this. In fact, it is specifically excluded in home insurance policies as the cause of this kind of leakage is considered to be structural defects, which are not insurable.

If the damage was caused because the sewer backed up, it will be covered under your home insurance if you purchased "water and sewer back-up coverage".

Wind: Most wind-related damage will be covered under your policy, but be sure that the cost to replace a few missing shingles is worth submitting a claim. Often it is cheaper to just replace those shingles and avoid a claim on your insurance record.

Electricity: An electrical storm can also damage your TV, VCR, DVD player or computers, or cause a fire, which are all covered.

Home and Contents: The damage caused by the tornado to your home and contents should be covered under your policy. If your dwelling is completely destroyed, or not able to be inhabited, your policy will also pay for you to live elsewhere, until your home is habitable again. Do not discard damaged contents until your insurance adjuster has seen them and start an itemized list as soon as possible of your contents that have been destroyed.

Compare Prices and Coverages: This is a good time to review your homeowner's insurance and check your policy limits. Are the limits adequate for your computer? Make sure your homeowner's policy has "Comprehensive" instead of "Standard" coverage or you may only get $30 for your $2,000 couch, instead of the full replacement cost of $2,000. The difference in rates between Standard and Comprehensive coverage can be less then $100.

www.InsuranceHotline.com directs you to the insurance company that has the best rate and coverage for you.