The Weather Goblins

Who let the weather goblins out? Tornadoes, wildfires and floods, oh my! With all the weather related disasters out in full force this (and seemingly every) spring, there should be some kind of scary, Halloween-type holiday to acknowledge the violent weather.

It’s not really something to celebrate, that’s for sure.

Citizens of North Dakota that reside along the Red River and its tributaries had a few days’ respite from the floods of late March and early April, but by April 13, they were sandbagging again and on the lookout for more cresting on the Red.

In Texas and Oklahoma, wind-whipped and drought-fueled wildfires burned hundreds of thousands of acres, destroying homes and, in some cases, small towns, leaving hundreds if not thousands homeless.

In Arkansas, a tornado blew through Mena, devastating that town, and as the wild weather continued eastward, the Southeast U.S. saw large swaths of destruction.

One wonders just how prepared folks who live in areas that succumb to floods, hailstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires and the like (or just about anybody anywhere in the country) every year really are? Do they know what to do in case of a weather disaster? Do they have enough insurance?

One business owner in Southwest Missouri said he learned a lot about being prepared when a series of K-4 tornadoes swept through that area in May 2008, killing 15 people. Bill Lant, whose feed store in Seneca, Mo., suffered extensive damage, said he’s had to change his record-keeping habits and revise his plan for keeping himself, his employees and his loved ones safe. But he did have one thing right: His business was well insured.

“Lant’s insurance plan included money to help cleanup the 60 truckloads of debris left after the storm, to pay many of his bills until the store could reopen and to replace much of the inventory destroyed by the storm,” the Associated Press reported.

Lant said he now works even more closely than before with his insurance agent to make sure he has the proper coverages. “I make sure as I grow my inventory, I grow my insurance too,” he said.

Home and business owners across the United States would do well to heed Lant’s experience and procure the necessary coverage before disaster strikes.

Topics Catastrophe Wildfire