BALTIMORE - September is National Preparedness Month (NPM), but being prepared every day is the goal. Helping your family, community, employees and students become prepared for any crisis is especially important in the case of a disaster. September is the time of year when efforts are made to specifically help the nation prepare.
 “Although weather related events such as hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding are beyond our control, you can take steps to prepare,” Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, Jr. said. “Read your insurance policy carefully to understand what is covered, what is excluded from coverage and what deductibles might apply. It is especially important to prepare before a disaster happens.”
Follow the Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) on social media the entire month of September for a full month of tips on how you can be better prepared in the event of an emergency.
The MIA also offers these tips to prepare for a disaster:
- Inventory your home. Whenever possible, take photos or videos to support any claim you may need to file later. Smartphone users can download a free home inventory application, myHOME Scr.APP.book, from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
- Determine if your home is insured to its full replacement cost.
- Keep your policy information in a waterproof, fireproof safe or off-site, such as in a safe deposit box, or scan it and save it to a flash drive that you keep in an emergency kit.
Consider purchasing flood insurance. Visit www.FloodSmart.gov or call 1-888-379-9531 to learn more.
The MIA offers guides and general information about insurance coverage at community outreach events. A full list of the events we will be attending during September may be found on our calendar at: https://insurance.maryland.gov/Consumer/Pages/ConsumerOutreach.aspx.
To stay informed about the upcoming NPM events and the Maryland Insurance Administration outreach teams’ daily locations, sign up for electronic notifications by clicking here or follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MDInsuranceAdmin/.
To learn more about what to do in specific types of disasters, visit https://www.ready.gov.
About the Maryland Insurance Administration
The Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) is an independent State agency charged with regulating Maryland’s $28.5 billion insurance industry. For more information about the MIA, please visit www.insurance.maryland.gov or follow us on LinkedIn at Maryland Insurance Administration, Facebook at www.facebook.com/MDInsuranceAdmin. Twitter at @MD_Insurance or Instagram at @MarylandInsuranceAdmin.
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