More people drop quake insurance every year than purchase it.
Tuesday morning’s earthquake didn’t amount to much. For the most part, it was just a rumble that roused some people out of bed, but didn’t do any damage. Click here for our coverage of the quake.
So is this little 4.2 temblor a precursor of things to come? Should it shake us up enough to buy earthquake insurance? It really comes down to this question: how much a gambler are you?
I found an interesting article on msn.com. It weighs the pros and cons of earthquake insurance, which is sold separately from your homeowner’s policy. The costs vary so widely and depend on so many factors, I can’t give you a ballpark figure on what it would cost to add quake coverage to your home.
Several websites can help you get an estimate. Here’s an interesting fact from insurance.com: each year, more homeowners ditch their earthquake coverage than buy it, because they think it costs too much. Therein lies the gamble.
The New Madrid Fault runs through Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky. History tells us when it ruptured in 1811, the force made the Mississippi River run backward and rang church bells on the east coast. That’s some powerful stuff. The Insurance Information Institute predicts there is a 40 to 63 percent chance that the New Madrid region will suffer an earthquake of a 6.0 magnitude in the next 15 years.
The thing that shook me up about the earthquake was even though it ranked low on the Richter scale and its epicenter was south of St. Louis, people here felt the vibrations. It makes you wonder about the potential of a much larger quake closer to home.
Take care ~Sarah
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