The Insurance Communicator

James L Smith Insurance Agency
In This Issue: Nature's Fury Bathroom Safety Tips Trivia Contest Vacation Tips Referral Rewards	A Message from the President A little over a year ago, I introduced a newsletter to our clients. It was a mixture of insurance, general information and some fun and games. I received a great response. Unfortunately, the cost to produce a full color four page newsletter was staggering. I didn't want to reduce the quality, so I decided to change the format and make an electronic version. This is our first installment of the newsletter. I know we all get tons of junk mail and the last thing I want to do is make that worse. So, I promise that I will not send anything more than once per month, If you do not want to receive the newsletter, there is an unsubscribe feature at the bottom of this email. I hope you enjoy this newsletter as much as the printed version. I know I had a lot of fun writing it. We have three new employees since the last newsletter. Jamie Martinelli is our new personal lines representative. She can handle all your personal auto, homeoweners, boat, motorcycle, RV, etc needs. Renee Ghilani is a new commercial lines Client Account Representative. She comes to us with ten years of experience in commercial lines accounts. Lelsie Herock is our new makreting representative. Her responsibilities are run all of our marketing efforts, of which this newsletter is one. Please join me in welcoming the new members to our family. As with the printed version we still have the trivia contest and referral rerwards contest. Please read below to see how you can win. Thank you and God Bless America. Dan Smith
	Squaring Up To Nature We watch with a mixture of sympathy and trepidation when a natural disaster hits the headlines. Whether it's an earthquake, flood, wildfire, hurricane or tornado, most of us have two things on our minds: What can I do to help? What would I do if this happened to me? The help side of the equation depends on the nature of the incident and you can usually get information on this from major charities like the Red Cross. When it comes to protecting yourself against disaster, there are three issues you need to address: precaution, insurance and recovery. Precaution You can't tame nature to prevent a disaster from happening but there are things you can do to minimize both the risks and the impact. Here's our Top Five list: Establish if you're in a risk zone for any of these events. Your city or county authorities can tell you. Using their guidance and online research, have a family safety plan for what to do in emergency. Do anything you can now to reduce risks, from clearing brush to securing structures. Buy and maintain a supply of the things you'll need from food through flashlights to sandbags. Be alert to warnings about imminent high risk events. Insurance The recent big earthquakes in Haiti and Chile may have prompted you to think about 'quake or other disaster insurance. Cover for fire and storm damage is normally part of a homeowners policy. For 'quakes and floods, cover is available in many areas but obviously the greater the risk, the higher premiums may be. Some states and even the Federal Government may provide support towards cover for certain risks. After Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti 'quake, a question people ask is whether they're covered against looting. This would most likely fall under the “riot and civil commotion” portion of your homeowners policy, regardless of whether or not you have 'quake or other special cover. A disaster isn’t the trigger for the coverage; the looting is. Talk to us about this. Recovery How quickly you start to get back to normal depends on the scale of the incident and availability of services to help you. Obviously, if you're insured, you should contact us or your insurer as soon as possible, to file a claim. We hope you have arranged cover, but if you haven't you may have to draw on your own funds, or look to state or federal aid if a State of Emergency has been declared. There are private companies specializing in disaster recovery and home restoration and, of course, builders and contractors for structural and service repairs. It's a wise move to indentify these people now as there would likely be a long waiting list if the incident was widespread. One of the best sources of information on dealing with a natural disaster is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Despite some bad publicity after Katrina, the agency offers lots of information and assistance both in preparation for and during incidents. Their website is www.fema.gov or call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362)
	Make Sure the Smallest Room is Also the Safest It may be the smallest room in the house, but the bathroom is big on danger, especially for the elderly and youngsters. There are water, electricity, sharp corners, internal locks and perhaps drugs, all lying in wait for victims. But a few simple precautions will defeat them: Keep a non-slip mat in the bath and shower (and on the bathroom floor if it's polished or slippery) Only plug in electrical items when you use them. Then remove and replace with plastic outlet protectors. Keep all drugs under lock and key and always out of kids' reach. Install grab bars beside the bath and inside shower enclosures. Ensure towel rails are firmly fitted. Check them regularly Fit door locks that can be opened from the outside in emergency.
	Not So Trivial Pursuit Each month James L Smith Insurance is sponsoring a Trivia Contest and offering you a chance to win tickets to an upcoming Steeler or Pirates game. This monthe the prize is four tickets to a Pirates home game complete with parking pass. Test your knowledge! Just one correct (or nearly correct) answer and you could be this month’s winner. The entry that comes closest to the correct answer to the following question will be the winner. If more than one person has the exact answer, the winner will be the chosen at random from of all the correct answers submitted before the drawing. To submit and entry, simply reply to this email and give us your answer. Good luck! This month's Trivia Question Who was the Pittsburgh Pirates regular third baseman the last year the Pirates won the world Series?
	Vacation Alert for Tourist Trickster So you're busy planning your summer vacation? Someone else is thinking about that too – tourist tricksters. These are the people you encounter in airports, taxi lines and on the sidewalk, who want to take advantage of your unfamiliarity, especially abroad. Here's our list of tips and alerts: Beware distraction crime. Someone, maybe a child, tries to distract you while an accomplice steals wallets or luggage. Ignore them and hold tight. If you're being met at an airport, check the credentials of your driver to make sure they're who they say they are. If in doubt, don't go. Phone the hotel or party you're visiting. Similarly, only use taxis at official taxi ranks. And always establish the fare before you leave. Change currency before you travel, or in banks or well-known bureaux de change. Others may offer poor rates or terms loaded with hidden extras. Avoid invitations to free events and don’t accept free scratch cards (which always 'win'). They're timeshare lures. Don’t buy off anyone on the street, no matter how great a bargain it seems. Bottom line: Always be skeptical. Never take the word of someone you don't know.
	Storm Damage Claims As you can imagine we have had numberous claims fromt the February snow storms that hit the Pittsburgh area. This resulted in significant claims for Homeowners, Auto and commercial buildings. The claims were mostly due to the accumulation of snow and ice. As the snow melted, ice dams were formed in the gutters and downspouts. With nowhere for the runoff to go during the day, the water then froze during the night and forced its way under the roof tiles and entered the house. May people saw damage to both the interior and exterior of their houses. Other claims resulted from falling trees. I get asked often if trees are covered for storm damage. The short answer is no. The outdoor property is covered for a limited amount (typically $500) and is only covered for certain types of losses (fire, lightning, vehicles, aircraft.) Snow and ice are usually not included. The exception to this is that if the tree hits the house, then the cleanup of the tree is part of the claim to the house. I had three large tree limbs fall. One hit the air conditioning unit and the insurance company paid $100 for have it removed. The other two I had to pay for myself. Now that the storms have passed and the weather is nice, I would encourage all our clients to do a thorough inspection of their property to make sure there is not hidden damage. Going forward, there are thing you can do to prevent future storm damage. Make sure all gutter and downspouts are cleaned and in working condition. Install heating taped on the roof, gutters and downspouts. Even gutters that are clear and in working condition can cease to function given the amount of snow we received this winter. On certain roofs, the only way to prevent an ice dam is to have the gutters and downspouts heated. Check with a contractor to see if these may help.
	To Green or Not Too Green – that is the question Lawns can be a headache and a heartache at this time of year. To fertilize or not? To water or not? How close to mow? How to control weeds? Answering these questions has become something of a science. And, on the basis that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, it turns out that, when it comes to lawn care, we tend to do all the wrong things: fertilizing too little or too much or at the wrong time, over-watering, and cutting things just a bit too close. Here's what the experts say: General Health: A healthy lawn should be deep green and blades should bounce back up when you walk on them. Rake the lawn to remove "thatch" before starting any other treatment. Aerate the lawn to improve drainage. You can hire mechanical equipment for both tasks. Watering: If you're starting from scratch, plant grass that's especially suited to your area. How frequently you water obviously depends on the weather, so make sure you can manually override your sprinkler system, to switch it off when it rains. Otherwise, provide an inch of water a week, more when it's really hot. Measure and check by placing a jar on the lawn to collect water when the sprinklers are on. Fertilizing: The value of fertilizing is in establishing strong root systems for your grass. Choose fertilizers that are specially blended for the season. Follow the application recommend-ations. Exceeding the "recommended dose" either in volume or frequency will damage, not help, growth. Consider organic fertilizers – usually more expensive but less harmful when they drain off. Mowing: The longer you let your grass grow, the healthier its roots. Longer blades also help retain moisture. A good target is 1-1/2 inches. If you've been away and the grass is high, don't lop it off in one mowing; set your blade to high and mow it twice, a few days apart. Weeds: You can buy fertilizers than control a wide variety of lawn weeds but if you only have a few weeds, this might be overkill, as well as hurting the environment via drainage. Spot weed-killing, though time consuming, may be more considerate.
	Refer a friend and get a free $10 gas card. Referrals are the lifeblood of any business, and there's no better source than you, our clients. Anyone that refers a potential client to our agency received a free $10 gas card. Each month we select one person that has sent us a referral and that person gets eith four pirate tickets or two steeler tickets. At the end of the year, we slect one person form amoung all those to receive four tickets to the final Pittsburgh Steelers Home Game. The following people recieved a $10 gas card. The following person was chaose to win four pittsburgh pirate tickets Congratulations. All their names will be entered in our annual drawing. Remember, the more referrals you send the more chance ytou have to win. Next month's referral business prize winner could be you. Just mention James L. Smith Insurance Agency to a friend, relative, colleague, whomever. Thank you in advance.