Tornadoes in South Carolina usually occur between March and May. While the strongest tornadoes are rare, even a weak tornado and the storm that spawns it can cause a great deal of property damage.

Homeowners insurance in South Carolina can help you recover after a tornado strikes your home. It can help you make repairs and may even help you with temporary living expenses if you have to move out while your home is repaired.

A South Carolina independent insurance agent can help you get South Carolina homeowners insurance and make sure that all of your personal insurance needs are taken care of.

How Common Are Tornadoes in South Carolina?

South Carolina ranks twenty-sixth in the United States in the number of tornado strikes, and eighteenth in the number of tornadoes per square mile. There are about 27 tornadoes per year in South Carolina, on average.

The most common type of tornado experienced in South Carolina is the relatively weak and short-lived type, most often occurring between March and May. But tornadoes can occur almost anywhere at anytime in South Carolina.

What Types of Damage Can a Tornado Cause in South Carolina?

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that hangs below a cumuliform cloud, and is often visible as a funnel cloud. In order for a vortex to be technically classified as a tornado, it must be in contact with both the ground and the cloud base. But high winds and rain often accompany tornados before and after a funnel cloud is visible. These intense thunderstorms often include damaging hail and lightning.

Tornadoes can last from several seconds to more than an hour, but the accompanying significant weather dangers can last much longer. The strongest tornadoes can have wind speeds of up to 261 miles per hour. They can be up to a mile wide and can cause catastrophic damage to entire communities by leveling homes, ripping homes off their foundations, and hurling vehicles and debris with deadly force.

The strongest tornadoes account for only 1% of the tornadoes that occur, but they are naturally the most damaging to people and property. Tornadoes of any strength can destroy buildings, flip cars, and create flying debris. Even homes that are outside the direct path of a tornado can sustain significant damage from the surrounding severe storm.

Here are some of the most common types of damage caused by tornadoes in South Carolina:

• Roof damage: Tornados can sometimes lift the roof right off buildings. And even a weak tornado can damage shingles, chimneys, and more.
• Shattered windows and doors: The pressure difference between the inside and outside of a home during a tornado can cause windows and patio doors to shatter in their frames. The glass simply can’t withstand the force being exerted on it. This type of tornado damage can occur miles away from the tornado itself. What’s more, flying debris can shatter windows even if you don’t sustain a direct hit from the tornado.
• Broken garage doors: Garage doors are vulnerable to tornado damage because of their large size and lightweight construction. Even high winds miles away from the actual tornado can be enough to knock your garage door off its track.
• Damaged siding: Strong winds, flying debris, and hail can quickly damage your siding. Paint can chip or discolor, vinyl siding can crack or dent, pieces of siding can blow off, stucco can have holes punched in it, and trim around brick walls can suffer significant damage.

Does Homeowners Insurance in South Carolina Cover Tornado Damage?

Homeowners insurance in South Carolina covers tornado damage. 

Tornadoes are one of many covered perils that could potentially damage your home, your belongings, or certain other structures on your property. Homeowners insurance in South Carolina helps you repair, replace, rebuild, and recover financially when your property or belongings are damaged or destroyed by a tornado or another covered peril. If you experience damage from a fire, lightning, hail, wind, or water that is caused by a tornado, your homeowners insurance is likely to cover your expenses.

It’s important to be mindful of the specifics surrounding water damage. If your roof was damaged or ripped off by a tornado and the inside of your home was damaged by rain, you would have coverage. You’d also have coverage if your windows were broken by a tornado and rain caused damage to the inside of your home. 

But if there were flooding that was related to the same storm, any damage that resulted from flooding would not be covered.

If a tornado hits your South Carolina home, you can expect your homeowners policy to offer the following types of coverage to help you repair and replace you damaged property:

• Dwelling coverage: The dwelling coverage in your policy pays to repair or replace your damaged home, and will even pay out the value of your home if it is a total loss.
• Personal property coverage: The personal property coverage, or contents coverage, in your South Carolina home insurance policy pays for damage to your insured personal property, such as furniture, clothing, artwork, and so on.
• Other structures coverage: Any detached structures located on your property (sheds, fences, detached garages) are also covered if the tornado affects them. Some policies may even pay for damage to trees and shrubs.
• Temporary living expenses coverage: Your policy will pay for additional living expenses if you are forced to live somewhere else while your home is being repaired. This coverage typically pays for hotel bills, food, and certain other living expenses (as long as they are in line with your current standard of living).

Once you’ve paid your policy’s deductible, your South Carolina homeowners insurance policy will reimburse you for the extent of the damage up to the total insured value of the dwelling itself and up to the personal property category’s coverage limit. Personal property deductibles are typically 1% of the home’s value. So if your home is worth $300,000, personal property damage might have to exceed $3,000 before insurance reimbursement kicks in.

How Can You Prevent Tornado Damage to Your South Carolina Home?

Preparing before a storm hits is one of the best ways to prevent or minimize the damage that a tornado can cause. Tornadoes can strike without warning, so it’s best to make sure your home and yard are strong and prepared at all times during tornado season.

Fortify your roof

Roof damage is the one of the biggest reasons for insurance claims after tornadoes. If your roof is damaged, water can get in and soak the insulation, which can lead to ceiling collapse and damage to your furniture and other belongings. If your roof blows off entirely, the likelihood of your walls collapsing and complete destruction of your home is greater.

Here are some things you can do to help fortify your existing roof:

Fortify windows and doors

Broken windows and doors allow wind and rain inside, damaging the interior of your home. In addition, once the wind gets inside, it will apply upward pressure on the roof, increasing the likelihood of it blowing off.

Wind-resistant window and door coverings can include various types of shutters, screens, panels and sheeting, as well as impact-resistant windows and doors. You need to protect windows, sliding patio doors, entry doors and garage doors.

Prepare your yard

Much of the damage cause by a tornado is from flying debris. Common outdoor items can be picked up and thrown by the wind, so don’t forget to prepare your yard if you have time before the storm hits.  

• Keep trees and shrubs well trimmed.
• Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.
• Bring in all outdoor furniture, decorations, garbage cans and anything else that is not tied down.

What Should You Do after a Tornado Hits Your South Carolina Home?

After a tornado strikes your South Carolina home, you’ll have a lot of cleanup and recovery to do. It’s important to be aware of the potential dangers and make sure you take appropriate safety precautions.

Violent winds associated with tornadoes can damage or weaken essential structural building components. You may encounter electrical hazards, carbon monoxide exposure, heat stress, hazardous materials, fire, and falls.

If there is any damage to your home, first shut off all natural gas, propane tanks, and electrical power. If it’s dark, use a flashlight rather than a candle to light your way. If the smell of gas is present and you suspect a leak, turn off the main gas valve, leave the house immediately, and notify the gas company and the fire department immediately. 

Take photographs and videos of the damage before you begin to search through it or clean up. This is essential to ensuring that your homeowners insurance claim is handled appropriately. 

When you begin going through your property, beware of dangers and protect yourself and your family. According to the Centers for Disease Control you should:

As soon as you are able, contact your insurance agent to start the process for filing a homeowners insurance claim.

How Can a South Carolina Independent Insurance Agent Help You Get Coverage for Tornado Damage?

An independent insurance agent can help you review your homeowners insurance policy, understand your coverage and your deductibles, and can even help you prepare a home inventory that can help you quantify any losses after a tornado or a severe storm.

South Carolina independent insurance agents aren’t tied to a single insurance company. They can help you get homeowners insurance that covers your risks and meets your budget.