Evacuated? Don’t sleep on a cot

As Hurricane Ida bears down on the Gulf Coast, it brings to mind the images of the streams of cars on the highways trying to leave evacuated areas.

One thing that evacuees often don’t realize is that their home insurance can help them out in this situation: When there’s a mandatory evacuation, the “additional living expenses” coverage within your home insurance policy kicks in to pay for a hotel room. This tip comes to me from Ron Reitz of Quality Claims Management Corp. in California.

So don’t go to a shelter to sleep on a cot — use your home insurance for a hotel room and to pay for items you couldn’t take in your rush, such as clothes and medicine.