The oil spill wreaking havoc in the Gulf of Mexico may be capturing your attention at the moment. But the odds are far greater that a natural disaster — a hurricane, wildfire or windstorm, for instance — will affect you.
The insurance industry is reminding homeowners of those odds this month, at the official start of the hurricane season, noting that forecasters have said it may be a bad one.
Mr. Spencer of the Chubb Corporation offered a checklist of warning signs to know if trees could fall on your home. If part or all the tree is not leafed out, it is unhealthy or dead. If you have excavated around a tree, the root system could be weakened. Piling mulch around the trunk is discouraged because it robs the tree of nutrients.
The challenge with trees, though, is if your neighbors are negligent, you may be stuck paying the deductible on your homeowner’s policy. “If your neighbor’s tree falls and hits your house, it’s your insurance claim,??? Mr. Spencer said. “The best you can do is make him aware of the tree health issues.???
And that’s when a natural disaster becomes even more frustrating.
