App gives consumers fast, easy way to prepare for emergencies
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) is joining the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to raise awareness of the importance of making a home inventory before severe weather or an emergency strikes. The NAIC recently announced the launch of its new Home Inventory App.
The NAIC Home Inventory App makes it easy for consumers to create and protect a record of their belongings and offers tips on disaster preparation and filing claims.
“Creating an annual home inventory should be an important part of every homeowner’s to-do list when it comes to emergency preparedness,” said TDCI Assistant Commissioner for Insurance Bill Huddleston. “The NAIC’s Home Inventory App makes it easy for consumers to make a safe, secure record of their home’s contents in the event they ever need to file an insurance claim after an emergency.”
The NAIC Home Inventory App, which can be accessed from the App Store and Google Play, gives consumers the ability to:
- Group belongings by category
- Scan barcodes for accuracy
- Upload and export photos with ease
- Find disaster preparation advice
- Review information about filing insurance claims
In addition to making a home inventory, Tennessee consumers can take several other steps today to help them prepare for an emergency.
- Create an emergency kit that includes bottled water, a first-aid kit, flashlights, a battery-powered radio, non-perishable food items, blankets, clothing, prescription medications, eyeglasses, personal hygiene supplies and a small amount of cash.
- Prepare an evacuation plan and choose two meeting places: one right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency (like a fire) and one outside your neighborhood in case you can’t return home.
- Review insurance policies — whether they are homeowners, renters, flood or health policies — to make sure that adequate coverage is in place should a disaster strike. It is important to note that traditional homeowners policies do not cover floods.
- The majority of Tennessee homeowners are not covered by flood insurance. Flood insurance can only be purchased through an insurance agent or an insurer participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). If you are in need of an agent that sells flood insurance, you can contact the NFIP Referral Call Center at 1-800-427-4661.
