Hurricane Coverage

6 April 2011
Hurricane Coverage

Coverage for hurricanes is listed within the weather and natural disaster coverage. This coverage provides reimbursement for your pre-paid travel costs (up to the policy limit) in the event your primary residence or travel destination is rendered uninhabitable due to a hurricane. This is a listed covered reason under trip cancellation coverage.

Contents (click to jump down)
What does Hurricane coverage cover?
Important notes about this coverage
What type of policy covers this?
How much coverage does each company provide?
Summary

Let us tell you a story

Michael and Susanna planned to take their three children to the Florida coast for a week of playing in the sun at the beach.

Due to the timing of their travel – during the kids’ summer break, which is also hurricane season – they purchased travel insurance protection with trip cancellation protection that included hurricanes and natural disasters as a covered reason.

Just three weeks before their scheduled departure, they watched as television reports described how the latest hurricane wiped out the resorts and beaches along the coast where they had reservations.

This couple was able to recover all their pre-paid non-refundable travel costs and make alternative travel plans for their summer vacation.

What does Hurricane coverage cover?

Hurricanes are natural disasters, much like tornadoes, earthquakes, blizzards, and severe thunderstorms. The primary travel insurance coverage for these types of events includes pre-departure trip cancellation, which means reimbursement to insured travelers (up to the covered amount) for their pre-paid non-refundable trip costs if they have to cancel their trip because a hurricane has destroyed their destination or their primary residence prior to their scheduled departure date.

In addition, some plans list hurricanes as a covered reason for:

  • Trip interruption – this post-departure coverage reimburses travelers (up to the covered amount) for unused travel expenses that will be forfeited if they have to end their trip and return home.
  • Missed connection – this coverage reimburses travelers for unused pre-paid expenses and reasonable additional expenses they they miss a connecting flight or cruise departure.
  • Travel delay – this coverage reimburses travelers for reasonable expenses if they are delayed over a certain number of hours as a result of a hurricane.
  • Non medical evacuations – this coverage arranges and pays for reasonable and necessary expenses to evacuate you to your home or a place of safety and then home in the event of a natural disaster.

Important: The key is that natural disasters must be included as a covered reason under the plan certificate to be able to make a claim on any of these coverages due to a hurricane.

Travel insurance, just like other insurance plans, cannot provide coverage for known events. This means you cannot purchase travel insurance for a hurricane that has been named and is about to affect your travel plans.

Some plans that offer coverage for natural disasters include a waiting period (usually 15-21 days), which begins at the plan’s effective date of coverage. During the waiting period, the occurrence of a natural disaster is not a covered reason for pre-trip cancellation. This is why it is important to purchase your travel insurance soon after making your travel plans and before there is a hint of a hurricane event.

Important notes about this coverage

  • Travel insurance coverage must be purchased before the hurricane is named
  • Hurricane or ‘natural disaster’ must be listed as a covered reason in the policy
  • You must insure your trip’s full pre-paid non refundable costs
  • You must insure the entire length of the trip (not just a portion of it)

What type of policy covers this?

Both travel insurance package plans and a few medical plans offer coverage for cancellations that occur as a result of a hurricane.

In addition, the following package plans offer non-medical evacuations that include natural disasters as covered reasons:

  • Worldwide Trip Protector Gold and Worldwide Trip Protector plans by Travel Insured International (with 50% or less remaining on your trip)
  • Advantage Bridge and Advantage Complete plans by M.H. Ross (with at least 4 days or 50% of your trip or less remaining)
  • Elements, Premier, and Vacation plans by TravelSafe

How much coverage does each company provide?

PolicyCompanyWaiting periodPolicy limit
BasicAllianzNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Deluxe (Comprehensive)AllianzNot specified150% of insured trip cost
Classic (Comprehensive)AllianzNot specified150% of insured trip cost
Custom Luxe ComprehensiveCSANot specified150% of insured trip cost
Custom ComprehensiveCSANot specified100% of insured trip cost
TravMed AbroadFrontierMEDEXNot specified$5,000 (medical plan)
Global Alert EssentialsGlobal AlertNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Global Alert Preferred PlusGlobal Alert15 days100% of insured trip cost
Global Alert PreferredGlobal Alert15 days100% of insured trip cost
No coverageGlobal Underwriters
TripProtector PreferredHTH WorldwideNot specified100% of insured trip cost
TripProtectorHTH WorldwideNot specified100% of insured trip cost
TripProtector e-SaverHTH WorldwideNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Advantage BridgeMH Ross15 days100% of insured trip cost
Advantage CompleteMH Ross15 days100% of insured trip cost
Advantage AssetMH RossNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Roundtrip ChoiceSeven CornersNot specified100% of insured trip cost up to 30,000
RoundtripSeven CornersNot specified100% of insured trip cost up to 20,000
Travel Lite *TravelexNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Business TravelerTravelexNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Travel MaxTravelexNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Travel PlusTravelexNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Travel Select AdvantageTravelexNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Travel SelectTravelex21 days100% of insured trip cost
TravelRiteTravel GuardNot specified$1,500
Tee, Tour, and TravelTravel GuardNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Pack 'n GoTravel GuardNot specified$1,000
My Travel GuardTravel GuardNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Business TravelerTravel GuardNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Sportsman's TravelTravel GuardNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Adventure TravelTravel GuardNot specified100% of insured trip cost
GoldTravel GuardNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Platinum (Cruise, Tour & Travel)Travel GuardNot specified100% of insured trip cost
BasicTravel GuardNot specified100% of insured trip cost
SilverTravel GuardNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Select BasicTravel Insurance ServicesNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Select EliteTravel Insurance ServicesNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Select PlusTravel Insurance ServicesNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Worldwide Trip ProtectorTravel Insured InternationalNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Trip Protector LiteTravel Insured InternationalNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Trip Protector Lite ExpandedTravel Insured InternationalNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Worldwide Trip Protector GoldTravel Insured InternationalNot specified100% of insured trip cost
CustomTravel Safe15 days100% of insured trip cost
Elements (Family)Travel SafeNot specified100% of insured trip cost
Elements (Individual)Travel SafeNot specified100% of insured trip cost
PremierTravel Safe15 days100% of insured trip cost
VacationTravel Safe15 days100% of insured trip cost

* If purchased within 21 days of initial trip deposit

Summary

  • Hurricane coverage consists primarily of pre-trip cancellation coverage where natural disasters are listed as a covered reason
  • Some plans list hurricanes as covered reasons for other benefits, such as trip interruption, missed connections, travel delays and non medical evacuations
  • Travel insurance coverage must be purchased before the hurricane is named
  • The destination must be damaged to the point of being uninhabitable (not just ugly)
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Damian Tysdal
Author
DamianTysdal

Damian Tysdal is the founder of CoverTrip, and he believes travel insurance should be easier to understand. He started the first travel insurance blog in 2006.

Damian Tysdal is the founder of CoverTrip, and he believes travel insurance should be easier to understand. He started the first travel insurance blog in 2006.

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