Today, June 1, the Atlantic hurricane season officially begins. It runs through November 30, and for the next six months, every Texas household, business, and property owner along the coast — and a lot of folks well inland of it — has one more weather risk on the calendar to think about.
Most years the season passes quietly for any given address. But it only takes one named storm to change that, and Texas has seen the bill come due more times than anyone here needs reminding. The good news: you have time right now, before anything is on the way, to make sure your insurance is set up to actually do its job when it matters. Here is the short list.
1. Know whether you carry wind and hail — and how it pays
This is the single most misunderstood coverage on a Texas home policy. Wind and hail damage is treated separately from other perils on most carriers, and along the coast it is often excluded from the standard homeowners policy entirely. If you live in one of the 14 coastal counties — or parts of Harris County — your wind and hail coverage may run through the
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) as a separate policy.
Even inland, your standard homeowners policy has a wind and hail deductible that is almost always larger than your regular deductible. It is often expressed as a percentage of your dwelling coverage, not a flat dollar amount. On a $350,000 home with a 2% wind and hail deductible, that is $7,000 out of your own pocket before insurance pays a dime on a storm claim.
Two questions to ask your agent before a storm rolls in:
- Is wind and hail included on my policy, or do I need a separate TWIA policy?
- What is my wind and hail deductible in actual dollars — not just a percentage?
If the deductible answer surprises you, that is a fixable problem. We will get to it below.
2. Understand the difference between wind damage and flood damage
This catches people off guard every hurricane season. Hurricanes bring two distinct hazards: wind, which damages roofs and structures, and storm surge or rain-driven flooding, which damages everything from the ground up.
Wind damage is covered by your homeowners or TWIA policy.
Flood damage is not. It requires a separate flood policy, almost always through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), or in some cases a private flood carrier.
If a hurricane drops three feet of water in your living room, the source of that water matters. Water that came in through a wind-damaged roof is generally covered by your home policy. Water that rose up from the street, the bayou, or the Gulf is not. After a major storm, the same physical damage in the same room can be covered or not covered depending on where the water entered first.
The fix is simple but it has a clock on it. NFIP flood policies have a 30-day waiting period before coverage takes effect. You cannot buy a flood policy on Tuesday when a hurricane lands Friday. If you have been thinking about it, today — June 1 — is exactly the right time. Read more in our guide to
flood insurance in Texas.
3. Check your dwelling replacement cost — not just your purchase price
Construction costs in Texas have moved sharply over the past three years. The dwelling coverage amount on your policy needs to reflect what it would cost to rebuild your home today, not what you paid for it three or five or fifteen years ago.
If you were quoted a policy in 2021 and have not had a coverage review since, there is a real chance you are underinsured. After a total loss claim, an underinsured dwelling means you receive a check that does not actually rebuild the house — and most carriers apply a co-insurance penalty on top of that, reducing the payment further.
A coverage review is free. It takes about ten minutes. Now is the time, not after a storm.
4. Think about a wind and hail deductible offset
Here is the one most homeowners do not know exists. A wind and hail deductible buy-down policy — like the one we now write through Sola — pays you up to $25,000 directly when a qualifying storm hits, helping cover the gap between your homeowners deductible and zero.
On a $350,000 home with a 2% wind and hail deductible, that is a $7,000 gap that you would otherwise pay out of pocket. A Sola policy can pay that off so the storm does not turn into a financial event for your household. There is no CLUE reporting (it will not affect your homeowners rates), no adjuster (verification is done through weather data and photos), and the premium is often offset by switching your homeowners to a higher deductible. Learn more on our
Sola wind and hail deductible protection page.
5. Make sure your auto policy includes comprehensive
Comprehensive coverage on your auto policy is what pays for storm damage to your vehicles — hail dents, broken windshields, water damage, fallen trees, the works. It is optional in Texas, which means a lot of older or paid-off vehicles end up without it.
If a hurricane (or the more common North Texas hailstorm) totals your car and you carry only liability, you are on your own for the loss. Comprehensive is usually one of the least expensive parts of an auto policy and one of the most likely to pay out in a major weather year. Worth checking.
6. Photograph everything before the season heats up
Open every closet, every drawer, every cabinet, and take photos with your phone. Walk every room and take video. Get the outside of the house, the roof if you can do it safely from the ground, and any outbuildings. Email the file to yourself so it is in your cloud, not just on your device.
After a claim, the carrier asks for proof of what was damaged. Photos and video from before the loss make settlement faster and bigger. It takes thirty minutes today and can be worth thousands later.
The short list, in one paragraph
Confirm your wind and hail coverage and know the deductible in dollars. Buy a flood policy now if you do not have one, because there is a 30-day waiting period. Update your dwelling amount to today's rebuild cost. Consider a Sola wind and hail deductible buy-down. Make sure auto comprehensive is on every vehicle. Photograph everything. That is the whole list, and it can all be done this week.
If you want a second set of eyes on your policy before storm season really gets going, we are glad to do a free coverage review. We are an independent agency, which means we can quote across multiple top-rated carriers and tell you straight where your current coverage is strong, where it is thin, and where small changes would make a real difference if a storm shows up.
Call us at (800) 666-2254, text us at 817-646-6700, or request a free quote at tapinsuretx.com.
— TAP Insurance Agency · Call (800) 666-2254
