News & Press

Prevent Water Damage

According to the Insurance Industry Institute, water damage accounts for billions of dollars in losses to homeowners and renters each year. It is also responsible for about 25 percent of all property insurance claims. In fact, our claims data suggests that water is ten times more likely to damage your home than fire.

Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to help prevent water damage from appliances, and protect your home. It is helpful to understand some of the common causes of water damage, which include leaky baseboard heating, air conditioning condensation drains, and failed water heaters, washing machine hoses and plumbing.

These household appliances do not always offer warning signs until the damage has already occurred. That is why it is important to check them regularly. The simple steps below can help you protect your home from the most common causes of water damage:

First, know where the main water supply is located in case of emergency.
If you will be away from home for an extended period, shut off the water supply and drain the pipes. During the heating season, if your home is heated by an older steam heating system, consult with your heating professional to determine if it is safe to turn off the water supply for your particular heating system. Also, if your home is protected by a fire sprinkler system, do not turn off the water to this system, and maintain sufficient heat to prevent a freeze-up.
Consider having your air conditioning system inspected regularly by a professional. Check the drain lines annually and clean them if they are clogged.
Inspect water heaters, showers, tubs, toilets, sinks, and dishwashers annually, and have them repaired if there are any signs of leaks or corrosion. When possible, install water heaters in areas with floor drains to minimize damage if leaks should occur.
Check caulking around showers, bathtubs, sinks and toilet bases, and make repairs as needed.
If your refrigerator has an ice machine or water dispenser, the hose between the wall and the refrigerator should be made of braided copper, which has greater cracking and corrosion resistance.
Check pipes for cracks and leaks. Have pipe damage fixed immediately to prevent more costly repairs in the future.
Check appliance hoses and plumbing fittings for breakage, crimping or bending.

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National Safety Awareness Month – Be Prepared

June is National Safety Awareness month and it also marks the beginning of summer storm season. In light of this, we hope to provide you with 3 steps for disaster preparedness.

3 Steps for Disaster Preparedness

1. Create a survival kit

In creating a survival kit, think about what you would need if you were stranded away from home for three to seven days. Prepare your kit well in advance so that if you have to evacuate quickly, you are able to take your essentials with you.

Canned food and other nonperishable food, along with a non-electric can opener
Enough water for a gallon of water per person, per day
Toiletries and personal items
Flashlights and plenty of batteries
A portable radio and/or television
Prescription medications
Extra clothing and blankets
A first-aid kit
Emergency cash and credit cards
A copy of your homeowners insurance policy
A copy of an inventory of your home’s contents
Other personal documents

2. Have a plan

Well before a disaster strikes, you should be thinking about your evacuation plan. An evacuation plan that is spelled out and distributed to everyone in the family well in advance is a good strategy for success in case of disaster.

Designate a place for all family members to meet. Make sure the meeting place is outside the impacted area.
Map out an evacuation route. While there may be one welltraveled route to your meeting place, make sure you have alternate routes mapped out in case your main route is blocked.
Keep your fuel tank filled in your car. Determine how much fuel you will need to reach your meeting place.
Identify a contact person outside the affected area. Give their contact information to everyone in the family so they can serve as a point of contact should you get separated.

3. Build an inventory

In the event of severe damage to your home or business, having a current inventory of your possessions – including make and model numbers – can help you get your insurance claim settled faster, verify losses for your income tax return and help you purchase the correct amount of insurance.

Take pictures. Take pictures of rooms and important individual items. Label pictures with a description, including where you bought it and the make, model and serial number.
Create an electronic file. Use your computer to make your inventory list. Personal finance software packages often include a homeowner’s room-by-room inventory program.
Store the list, photos and tapes. Regardless of how you create it (written list, flash drive, photos, video or audio), keep your inventory, along with receipts, in your safe deposit box or at a friend’s or colleague’s home.
Consider expensive items. Valuable items like jewelry, art and collectibles may have increased in value since you received them. Check with your agent to make sure that you have adequate insurance for these items. They may need to be insured separately.

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Group Cancellation Business Practices

Solid business practice requires that we plan for the unexpected, but who could have predicted that for the past three autumn seasons businesses that earn income from hosting outside groups would suffer from devastating yet disparate events. These included a hurricane that ravaged the northeast, a government shutdown that affected businesses in or near national parks and recreation areas, and most recently a massive manhunt that converted portions of Northeastern Pennsylvania into a virtual armed encampment, all of which caused groups to cancel or scale back their planned stays at various sites, resulting in the loss of income to their hosts.

Obtaining insurance to protect against such unusual events can be difficult as what is known as Business Interruption insurance only protects against very specific and sometimes narrow causes of loss. For example, a hurricane or other storm that closes roads and bridges (or cancels school events) fifty miles away is not covered, nor are government shut downs or horrific events that frighten groups into cancelling.

As a result, we strongly advise that your group contracts carefully and specifically address cancellation in a way that protects you against loss of income while also being fair to your customers. In addition, we believe that your contracts should mention, and in fact recommend that the groups purchase “peace of mind” insurance, which is in reality a form of trip cancellation insurance that protects individuals or groups in the event they chose to cancel their scheduled stay at your facility. There are insurance solutions available – AMSkier offers “peace of mind” insurance.

Below is language that you should insert into your group contracts that covers each of these occurrences. By recommending that your groups purchase Peace of Mind insurance, coupled with provisions that specify your rights in the event of cancellation, you should be able to minimize, if not eliminate, losses caused by a group’s unilateral decision to cancel events for any reason.

_________________________________________________________

EVENT CANCELLATION

BY THE LESSOR:

In the event Lessor cancels the lease (Your Company) shall refund all monies paid.

BY THE GROUP:

In the event Group cancels the lease for any reason, (Your Company) shall be entitled to the following:
$ _________ If canceled on or before ___/___/___.
$ _________ If canceled on or before ___/___/___.

In the event of cancelation by Group at any time thereafter, (Your Company) shall be entitled to retain all deposits and shall be entitled to additional damages for breach of contract (lost profits) whichever is greater.
In order to protect itself and its participants, (Your Company) strongly recommends that Group and/or its participants purchase EVENT CANCELLATION INSURANCE which may reimburse the group or its participants for all or part of any amounts lost.

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Spring Cleaning With Karen

Enjoying great weather is a breeze, but our Karen Weaver knows it’s even easier when our homes are in tip-top shape! Karen is an artistic, DIYer with a flair for making you feel right at home. Take a few Spring Cleaning & Organization tips from Karen for your best Spring yet!

1. Open the windows

Now that it’s a little warmer out, it’s time to get more fresh air into your home. Good ventilation is key to combat indoor pollutants coming from your carpet, computer and many other common household objects.

2. Cull your winter clothes now

Have you gone through a whole winter without wearing those boots or that sweater? If so, it’s time to give them away. It will be a lot easier to convince yourself to keep things if you do this task next fall. Clean your closet out after each season.

3. Organize Your Closet

After you clean out your closet, organize it by color and how you get dressed in the morning. Your closet will look nice, and your morning routine will be easier.

4. Use baking soda on musty carpets

Baking soda is a very popular natural cleaner, and for good reason! Simply sprinkle baking soda onto your carpets for smell reduction. Sweep it around for a bit, let it sit and then vacuum it up.

4. Clear your windows with vinegar

Combine 2 teaspoons of vinegar with 1 quart of warm water in a spray bottle. Spray and wipe to get rid of finger prints and other greasy buildup.

While you’re at it, could you do us a favor and skip the paper towel and use a washable rag instead? Or if you’re cleaning something so gnarly that paper towels are a must, at least compost them.

5. Create a Different Mood

It’s easy to create a different mood in your home. A change in pillows, curtains, towels, table linens & other textiles can make a big difference. Look for fresh, airy & floral patterns.

6. Make an all-purpose cleaner with natural ingredients

Tea tree oil and lemon extract have both been shown to have anti-microbial properties. So, you can make a good all-purpose cleaner by combining 10 drops of lemon extract (or zest) with 20 drops of tea tree oil in 1 quart of water. This works great to clean tile, countertops and floors.

7. Flip your mattress

Not all mattresses are designed to be flipped, but if yours is, it’s good to flip it twice a year. Why not use the equinox as a reminder?

Just like carpet, you can use the baking soda trick on your mattress to absorb oils and odors.

8. Cook up a pot of happy smells

For a more natural good-smell fix, why not boil up a pot of your favorite herbs and fruits? Try combining cinnamon and oranges or cloves and apples. You can also add a few drops of essential oils.

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Outdoor Winter Activities With Your Dog

Agency Assistant Vice President, Suzanne Capurso loves spending time with her dogs and we bet you do too. But what are fun things to do with your dog in the winter? Bundle up and get outside! You will be amazed how fast time flies when you’re out having fun with your dog, even when it’s cold outside. Here are some fun outdoor activities you can do with your dog in the winter months.Fetch – Turns out that playing fetch works the same in cold weather as it does in warm weather. Just bundle up and get a brightly colored ball or Frisbee so you can find it in the snow.

Tracking – Sniff in all that cold winter air and train your dog to track scents. Tracking is like a game of hide-and-seek for dogs. Tracking challenges a dog’s problem-solving skills and keeps their keen sense of smell active. It also rewarding when they successfully track a scent. Call a local trainer or find a good tracking training book to get started.

Walk or Run – Same as in warm weather just with more clothes on, walking or running is a great way to exercise yourself and your dog. Dogs make great walking buddies!

Snowshoe Trek – If you can walk, you can snowshoe! The equipment is inexpensive to rent and you and your dog will enjoy the exercise and time outside in the snow. Make sure you have a long dog leash of dogs off-leash are not permissible where you walk.

Skijoring – It’s cross-country skiing combined with dog mushing/racing. Add a special dog harness and belt (for you) to your cross country equipment and you have Skijoring. Your dog pulls you through the snow. Fun for humans and any dog over 30 lbs.

We love pets at AMSkier Insurance. To get a quote on insuring your pet with AMSkier Insurance, please click here!

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