National Preparedness Month is observed each September to raise awareness about disasters and emergencies that can happen at any time. For insurance professionals, it is a timely opportunity to help clients move from general awareness to concrete preparation: understanding their risks, reviewing coverage, documenting property, protecting records, and knowing where to turn before and after a loss. 

A useful preparedness conversation does not have to be complicated. Start with the scenarios most relevant to each client’s home, business, location, and operations, then give them a short list of next steps they can complete today. Natural disasters may bring hurricanes, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes, but a fire, burst pipe, extended power outage, cyber incident, or supply-chain interruption can be just as disruptive.

• Review coverage before a loss occurs. Use preparedness season as a reason to revisit policy limits, deductibles, exclusions, and endorsements. Discuss flood insurance, earthquake coverage, wind and hail deductibles, sewer backup, business interruption, extra expense, ordinance or law coverage, and property damage details. Remind clients that standard policies may not cover every disaster-related loss and that some coverages may have waiting periods or underwriting requirements.
• Protect data, technology, and essential documents. Help clients confirm that critical data is backed up, protected by strong access controls, and stored far enough offsite or in the cloud to be retrievable during a local disruption. For paper documents, recommend a fireproof and water-resistant safe or secure offsite storage for insurance policies, leases, deeds, birth certificates, passports, financial records, vendor lists, and recovery contacts.
• Document property and inventory belongings. A current inventory helps clients file claims more efficiently after a loss. Encourage them to take photos or videos, record serial numbers, save receipts when available, and store copies outside the property. For homeowners and renters, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners offers a Home Inventory App that can help clients organize this information.
• Point clients to reliable, current resources. Encourage clients to sign up for local alerts, know their local emergency management agency, and review the hazards most likely to affect their area. Ready.gov provides current guidance on emergency plans, supplies, alerts, and hazard-specific preparation, while FEMA maintains information on active disasters and assistance. Clients can also start with broad federal guidance at USA.gov’s disaster preparedness page.

Insurance professionals can make preparedness manageable by turning it into a short, repeatable checklist: identify likely hazards, confirm coverage, protect documents and data, record property, and save trusted recovery resources before they are needed. Clients do not have to complete everything at once; even one action after each policy review or renewal conversation can strengthen their ability to respond and recover. 

What tools, checklists, or local resources do you share with clients when discussing disaster preparedness? Share your go-to methods on our social media platforms — LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram — with #disasterpreparedness so other insurance professionals can help their clients prepare with confidence.

CPIA

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