Mississippi is in the top five states in the US with the highest lightning density. If lightning strikes your home, which insurance will cover it? Depending on the damage, it may be your Mississippi homeowners insurance or your Mississippi car insurance.

A Mississippi independent insurance agent can help you understand which insurance covers lightning damage and answer any other insurance questions you have. Here is some more information on insurance in Mississippi and how to keep yourself, your family, and your stuff safe.

Does Home Insurance Cover Lightning Damage?

Yes, damage from lightning is listed as a covered peril in the property coverage of home insurance. It will also cover damage from fallen trees, power surges, lightning fires, and other events resulting from a thunderstorm.

If you do experience lightning damage, your home insurance will cover everything from the structure of your home to detached garages, sheds, and landscaping, as well as your personal property within the home. 

Setting your home insurance limits is an important consideration when it comes to property coverage. A fire could burn your entire home down, so you'll want to take that into consideration when setting your coverage limits.

What Coverage Does Home Insurance Include?

Home insurance is typically made up of four major coverages: dwelling coverage, personal property coverage, liability, and additional living expenses. When it comes to damage from lightning, each of these will protect you in specific ways.

• Dwelling coverage: Pays for any damage or destruction to the home's structure, including detached structures and garages, after a lightning strike. It also includes built-in appliances.
• Personal property coverage: Pays to repair or replace your damaged personal belongings such as furniture, clothing, electronics, dishes, brought-in appliances, etc. For lightning, this could be damage from a power surge that comes through your electrical wiring and damages your television or kitchen appliances.
• Liability: Pays for legal expenses such as attorney and court fees if you are sued for bodily injury or property damage to a third party. If a friend is staying in your home and lightning causes damage to their personal belongings, they could sue you for the cost.
• Additional living expenses: If a thunderstorm caused significant damage that resulted in needing to leave your home temporarily, this coverage would pay for living expenses such as hotels, meals, gas mileage, and other costs.

What If Lightning Strikes My Car?

Unexpected events that can cause damage to your vehicle, such as lightning, are covered under comprehensive car insurance. Whether your car is parked at your home or away from your home, if lightning strikes, you'll only be protected if you have comprehensive insurance. In Mississippi, comprehensive car insurance is not a required coverage, so you'll need to work with an independent insurance agent to add it to your policy.

If you consider your vehicle a valuable asset, comprehensive coverage is worth considering. It covers lightning and other events that could occur outside of a collision, such as theft, fallen trees, or hitting a wild animal. 

How Common Is Lightning Damage to Personal Property?

Lightning damage claims in the US have decreased in recent years but are still very common. More than 71,500 homeowner insurance claims were paid in one recent year due to lightning losses. 

Lightning can be highly damaging to your home because it can result in several other events. A lightning strike can spark a property fire or a power surge. These stats show just how costly lightning damage can be.

• In recent years there were 71,551 lightning claims to personal property
• The value of those claims was $2.1 billion 
• The average cost per lightning claim for a homeowner was $28,885
• Florida had more homeowners insurance lightning loss claims than any other state

4 Ways to Protect Your Home from Lightning Strikes

Lightning strikes occur unexpectedly, but you can protect your home by taking a few small steps.

1. Install surge protectors: Surge protectors can help protect electronics such as computers, televisions, cable boxes, etc. 

2. Install a lightning protection system: These systems are designed to protect against fire and structural damage. If lightning strikes, they guide the lightning into the ground. 

3. Take a detailed inventory of your personal property: Walk through your home taking pictures and video of all of your belongings. Keep essential documents in a safe and easy to access place.

4. Review your home insurance with your agent: Your agent can help review your home and its safety precautions, identify risks, and make sure you have the coverage to help get your family back where they belong after a disaster.

Need-to-Know Tips to Protect Your Family from Lightning Strikes

It's rare to get struck by lightning, but it usually results in severe injury or damage if it should happen. The best way to keep yourself and your family safe is to learn what to do during a thunderstorm. Follow these tips for indoor and outdoor safety.

Indoor safety:

• Avoid all water. Do not take a shower or bath during a thunderstorm.
• Avoid all electronic equipment.
• Avoid corded phones.

Outdoor safety:

• Immediately head indoors when you hear thunder. If your vehicle is close by and you can't get indoors easily, wait out the storm in your car rather than staying outside.
• If you cannot find shelter, crouch low with as little of your body as possible touching the ground.
• Avoid isolated tall trees, poles, or other things that can break or fall if struck by lightning.
• If you're with a group of people, do not stay together; spread out.
• Avoid concrete floors and walls, as lightning can travel through metal wires and bars. 

How to File a Claim after Lightning Strikes Your Mississippi Home

Should lightning strike your home or vehicle, you're likely to want to file a claim with your insurance. An agent can help you through these easy steps for filing a claim.

• Access the damage: Once it is safe to do so, assess the damage to your home or vehicle. Document all damage with photos and video. If the home or car is unstable, do not go inside.
• Call your independent agent: Your agent will start your claim after asking you a few simple questions.
• Consider your deductible: To get coverage from your insurance, you'd first be financially responsible for meeting your deductible. If the cost of repairs does not exceed your deductible cost, it may not be worth filing a claim.
• Receive payment: Your insurance agent will work with you through the claims process. The more promptly you respond, the quicker you can get your payment. 

How Can a Mississippi Independent Insurance Agent Help?

If lightning strikes, you don't want to be left wondering if and how your insurance will cover the damage. A Mississippi independent insurance agent can help you get the proper coverage and help you work through a claim if you need it. Agents are available across the state and understand the necessary coverage to protect your home, vehicle, and personal property from any unexpected damage.