As Hurricane Irene makes its way nearer to the American mainland over the Caribbean islands, travel agents are taking this time to inform their customers about the importance of travel insurance for hurricanes, while answering questions and selling the policies.
In order to make sure that their customers are covered for a weather event, travel agents need to make sure that the insurance was purchased a minimum of one day before the U.S. National Weather service has spotted and given a name to the tropical storm or hurricane. This will ensure that the trip can be protected from the storm in question as well as any of its connected weather patterns. The reason for this is that coverage is based on “unforeseen” circumstances, and once a storm has been named, it will no longer fall into that category.
According to President and CEO Jim Grace of InsureMyTrip, it is a very good idea for travelers to have a look at their insurance policies right now. He recommends that travelers contact a customer service team member who will be able to assist the traveler to “review the terms of your policy and the key protection it provides whether you’re travelling to or through a hurricane-prone region,” or even if the traveler resides in a place where the weather might prevent the trip from getting started.
The hurricane season runs from August through November, so travelers who did not protect themselves in time for Irene still have the opportunity to obtain the necessary coverage for any future travels within the rest of the season for storms that have not yet been named.
