EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE

Paraphrased from Western States Insurance Information Service. Ask these following questions of your agent before buying

1. Why should I buy earthquake insurance. Is there another way for me to replace my insurance if I don't have earthquake insurance

2. Is the earthquake insurance coverage additional to my existing homeowners policy of do I have to buy a separate policy

3. What does earthquake insurance cover

4. How much earthquake insurance coverage should I buy?

5. How much does it cost?

6. Will the coverage I buy apply to the combined value of my house (the structure itself) and the contents of my home (furniture, clothing, electronic equipment, collections, etc.) or should I evaluate my potential losses separately

7. Does the policy have a guaranteed replacement cost coverage? If so , how would this coverage apply if I suffer a loss?

8. I own a condominium. How would earthquake insurance benefit me? (Ask specifically if the insurance would be covered if you are forced to vacate the premises for safety reasons)

9. I'm a renter. How would earthquake insurance benefit me? (Ask specifically if additional living expenses would be covered if you are forced to vacate the premises for safety reasons).

10. What bout my car- would that be covered by earthquake insurance?

11. What about other structures- the garage for instance? Are they covered by the same policy or will I need to get another or a rider.

12. How much is the deductible?

13. Is the deductible for my earthquake insurance coverage different from the deductible for my basic homeowners insurance coverage?

14. How is the deductible on my earthquake insurance coverage going to be calculated in the event of a loss? Will a separate deductible apply to the structure, contents, and detached structures, or does one deductible apply to the entire loss?

15. If I have to vacate my home, will earthquake insurance cover the hotel expenses? If so, for how long?

16. Is breakage of fragile articles covered if I purchase earthquake insurance? Is there a better way to cover these items (i.e. specifically scheduling)? If so, explain how this works to my benefit

17. Does the type of home I live in (brick, veneer, masonry affect the way earthquake coverage will respond? Does it cost more if I own a masonry/brick home that an A frame home?

18. Does the earthquake policy exclude certain repairs?

19. How long do I have to wait after an earthquake before I file a claim?

20. What about aftershocks attributable to the original quake- would I be covered for resulting damages without another deductible?

21. Are there additional "endorsements" to the earthquake coverage that I should also consider- building code upgrades, structural report coverage, demolition, etc? If so, explains how purchasing endorsements might benefit me.

How to survive an earthquake: (THE "TRIANGLE OF LIFE 2004)

When buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the "triangle of life". The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the "triangles" you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building. They are everywhere.

The chief of rescue in the Trujillo Fire Department is a professor at Trujillo University. "My name is Roberto Rosales. I am Chief of Rescue in Trujillo. When I was 11 years old, I was trapped inside of a collapsed building. My entrapment occurred during the earthquake of 1972 that killed 70,000 people. I survived in the "triangle of life" that existed next to my brother's motorcycle. My friends who got under the bed and under desks were crushed to death [he gives more details, names, addresses etc.]

1) Everyone who simply "ducks and covers" WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE is crushed to death -- Every time, without exception. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are always crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies all naturally often curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. The reason is simple: the wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.

4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room, telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.

5) If an earthquake happens while you are watching television and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Everybody who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different "moment of frequency" (they swing separately from the main part of the building).The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads. They are horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by screaming, fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.

8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked;

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles, says the author. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.

10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper."