Prevention Pays! The True Cost of Flying Storm Debris

Iconic palms define our tropical Florida landscape, but beautiful palm fronds can become dangerous and even deadly during a storm. Strong winds from hurricanes and other storms often turn everyday items like palms and loose branches, patio furniture, potted plants, and outdoor grills into damaging projectiles—causing billions in damage and putting homeowners—and businesses—at serious financial risk.

Let’s identify the actual costs of projectile damage and why prevention can be priceless.

Property Damage

Insurance Deductibles
Many policies impose hurricane or named-storm deductibles calculated as a percentage of the home’s insured value—typically ranging from 1% to 5%, and sometimes up to 10% in high-risk areas. For a home insured at $300,000, a 5% deductible amounts to a $15,000 out-of-pocket expense before any insurance coverage can be claimed.
Cost Example
A $300,000 home with a 2% deductible faces a $6,000 out-of-pocket expense before insurance coverage begins. Florida State Statutes require insurers to offer deductible options of $500, 2%, 5%, or 10% for hurricane-related damage.

Business Disruption

Business owners may face significant out-of-pocket expenses repairing storefronts, signage, inventory, and more—especially when coverage gaps exist. Operations, revenue, and profitability can be affected long after the storm is gone.

Prevention Saves Money

Even a small amount of time and effort can save thousands of dollars:

Trim trees and remove weak branches well before weather events. Do not trim when there is no debris pickup coming before the storm – uncollected, the pile will only add to the storm hazards.
Bring outdoor furniture, décor, and plants inside. Secure any other objects that cannot be moved indoors.
Be a good neighbor! Projectiles can fly far and wide, well beyond the location where they originated, damaging other property in the vicinity, and even farther if flood conditions are present.
When financially feasible, install impact-rated windows, hurricane shutters, or take other protective measures, and consult your insurer about windstorm mitigation discounts.

Let’s take a look at a potential, real-world scenario –

Imagine that a single, unsecured patio set flying about during a Category 2 hurricane breaks two windows, leading to:

Glass repair: ~$3,000
Water damage: ~$7,000
Damaged indoor items: ~$1,200
Total: $11,200

With a 5% deductible on a $300,000 home ($15,000), the homeowner would be responsible for the full $11,200 amount which did not meet the $15,000 deductible threshold. Having caused $11,200 worth of out-of-pocket, storm-related damage, that bargain set of unsecured deck furniture just became much more expensive!

What’s more, many homeowners in Florida, and other natural hazard prone areas of the country must weigh the cost of filing any insurance policy claim against impacts to general insurability, available coverage, and policy premium increases.

Before any storms develop and head our way here on the Space Coast and across our state, take time to prepare!

References:
https://www.noaa.gov/hurricane-prep
https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-hurricanes
https://www.fema.gov
http: www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes