Many Californians May Be Underinsured For Upcoming Storm

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Ahead of this storm, you might want to ask yourself if you have enough insurance. After the fires and the pandemic, home prices and the cost to rebuild are now much higher.

With incoming weather, some insurers say it's the perfect storm for as many as 20-30 percent of Californians, who are underinsured.

Insurance agent, Harold Newbill, says, "that's probably a modest assessment."

The Department of Labor Statistics reported numbers from August showing that building materials are up 19.4%.

Additionally, the median home listing in Sacramento is nearly 14-percent higher, according to Realtor.com.

So how do you know if you have enough insurance?

Newbill says, "ask a contractor what the cost to build per foot that they're seeing."

In Sacramento, Newbill is seeing $200 to $250 per square foot.

"You can just do the quick math on your home and say - it's this big, and it's insured for 175 a foot - that's probably not enough," said Newbill.

Homeowners' insurance usually covers damage from the sky, like rain damage. For damage from mudslides and flooding, flood insurance is usually required.

Adding protection today will usually take 30 days to take effect.

"Think of all those things when you're buying homeowners insurance so that, should disaster strike, you'll be ok," Newbill added.