Crucial parts of a disaster plan
Television screens and newspapers have been littered with scenes of unspeakable destruction as earthquakes and tsunamis have laid to waste villages and fishing communities in Japan and Thailand.
People may ask themselves what they would do if their homes was destroyed. With these individuals in mind, the U.S.-based Insurance Information Institute says both businesses and homeowners should have a detailed disaster plan in place, describing what to do when disaster strikes.
For instance, the Insurance Information Institute says the plan should make clear what each person's responsibility is and where they should gather when there's a problem. So everything goes smoothly, the Insurance Information Institute says it may be wise to do a few practice runs now and then.
Another important part of a disaster plan, according to the Insurance Information Institute, is making sure an emergency contact list is prepared and can be consulted easily. The list should include phone numbers and street addresses for extended family members as well as for rescue crews like police, fire and medical.
Group home insurance plans protect employees and their families from financial ruin, but they may not know that the policies don't always include coverage for all disasters. Consumers should be clear what incidents are and are not covered.