Checking coverage

There have been many occasions this year -- too many, some might say -- to check your homeowner's and renter's insurance policy to see what's covered -- and what's not.

There was the ice storm, then the flooding and then the earthquake.

Over and over, comments have been heard to this effect: "When I called about my coverage, I found I wasn't covered."

For example, some with flood coverage learned that the damage caused by sewage backing up from overloaded sanitary sewers wasn't covered by their policies.

There is a lesson to be learned from the experiences of the past few months: Check your insurance policy before disaster happens. Insurance polices are complicated documents, and most homeowners and renters have never sifted through an entire policy or might not understand what it says if they did.

There are some basic questions you can ask, however. Just think of some of the potential losses you might have incurred from falling tree limbs, water in the basement or a damaging quake. Call your insurance agent and ask if you're covered. If you are, great. If you aren't, ask if coverage is available and how much it would cost.

It's better to be prepared for storms and other disasters that we may think are covered by our insurance policies. And it's best to raise these questions before a disaster, not after.