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COVID-19 HOTLINES

Centers for Disease Control

800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)

TTY 888-232-6348

These Hotlines Have Special Assistance for COVID-19 Support

Disaster Distress Helpline

800-985-5990

(press 2 for Spanish),

 

Or Text "TalkWithUs" for English or

"Habano" for Spanish to 66746.

Spanish speakers from Puerto Rico can text Hablanos to 1-787-339-2663.

 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

800-273-TALK (8255) for English

888-628-9454 for Spanish

National Domestic Violence Hotline

800-799-7233

 

Or text "LOVEIS" to 22522

National Child Abuse Hotline

800-4AChild

(800-422-4453)

Or text 1-800-422-4453

National Sexual Assault Hotline

800-656-HOPE (4673)

The Eldercare Locator

800-677-1116  

Veteran’s Crisis Line

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Or Crisis Chat text 8388255

Natural disasters

Who’s at risk?

Research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that lower-income individuals are most at risk from natural disasters. Although they receive disaster warnings, they can often not react or have the emergency funds to prepare in advance. SAMHSA considers lower-income individuals as those with lower incomes, public housing residents, and homeless or unemployed individuals.

“The elderly, disabled, and homeless are the ones more vulnerable during a natural disaster,” says Lindsey Maxwell. As the co-founder of her blog Where You Make It, she has converted two vans and traveled the U.S. extensively. 

It’s also true that some locations may pose a greater risk to its residents than others.

Types of disasters by state

Florida may be known for its hurricanes, but according to the Insurance Information Institute (III), these are the top five costliest states based upon their cumulative reported insured losses. 

Costliest states by insured catastrophe losses, 2019

StateType of natural disasters

Estimated insured loss (millions)

Number of claims

Texas

Hurricanes, hailstorms, tornadoes, flood, fire, extreme heat and cold$7,236.4583,050

Illinois

Severe storms, flood, tornadoes, snow$1,707.2168,100

 

Colorado

Hailstorms, fire, flood, droughts, blizzards$1,366.9127,450

 

OhioSevere storms, flood, tornado, snow$1,345.1106,950

 

CaliforniaWildfires, earthquakes, flood, severe storms$1,321.771,450

What is usually covered by insurance?Having insurance coverage can help in the face of a disaster with replacing lost items and giving you a place to stay while your home is being repaired. The III breaks down the basic coverage types that typically come with the standard homeowners or renters insurance policy. Below, highlights the property coverage that typically applies in the event of a natural disaster.

 

Insurance coverage by property policy type

Dwelling & personal property

 

Hazard typeBasic HO-1Broad HO-2

 

Fire or lightning✔✔

Windstorm or hail✔✔

Explosion✔✔

Smoke✔✔

Volcanic eruption✔✔

 

Falling object✔

 

Weight of ice, snow or sleet✔

Dwelling

 

Hazard type Special HO-3

 

Fire or lightning✔

 

Windstorm or hail✔

 

Explosion✔

 

Smoke✔

 

Volcanic eruption✔

 

Falling object✔

 

Weight of ice, snow or sleet✔

 

Personal property

Hazard typeSpecial HO-3Renters HO-4Condo/Co-op HO-6

Fire or lightning✔✔✔

Windstorm or hail✔✔✔

Explosion✔✔✔

Smoke✔✔✔

Volcanic eruption✔✔✔

Falling object✔✔✔

Weight of ice, snow or sleet✔✔✔

Dwelling & personal property

Hazard typeModified coverage HO-8

Fire or lightning✔

Windstorm or hail✔

Explosion✔

Smoke✔

Volcanic eruption✔

Falling object

Weight of ice, snow or sleet

 

What is not covered by insurance?

 

While property insurance should cover most natural disaster claims, certain catastrophic events would be excluded from your standard property coverage. Without the proper coverage for these events, it could leave you in a serious bind. 

  • Maintenance damage: mold and termite infestation is considered a failure to maintain your home, so it may not be covered unless you purchase extra protection.  

  • Sewer backup: sewer backup requires additional insurance coverage as it is not commonly included in the standard homeowners, renters or flood process.

 

Be prepared

 

When you live in a high-risk area, the best thing you can do is be prepared, says Robert Stam. Today, he is the CEO of SEO Mandarin and caught the travel bug in his earlier years. “I spent several years traveling, living in and working out of my vehicle,” he explains. 

 

“What living out of a car teaches is that with proper preparation, we can survive, even thrive, with the bare minimum,” he says. “While it may not be a sustainable long-term arrangement for many people, equipping a car with a basic camping kit can provide shelter and sustenance from even the most basic of vehicles.”

 

Emergency bag

When Maxwell was traversing the country, her emergency kit was an invaluable partner on her travels. It is something she stresses the importance of now. “It’s crucial before a natural disaster hits your local area to create your own portable disaster kit.  It would be best if you grabbed essential supplies you will need, such as important documents.”

STATE BY STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND RESOURCES

Alabama Department of Public Health

Alabama COVID-19 Information

Alabama COVID-19 Resources for Healthcare Providers

Alabama COVID-19 Information Page on Testing

Alaska Division of Public Health

Alaska COVID-19 Information

Alaska COVID-19 Information for Healthcare Providers

Alaska Count of COVID-19 Cases

Arizona Department of Health Services

Arizona COVID-19 Information

Arizona COVID-19 Clinician Fact Sheet

Arizona Clinicians encouraged to contact the local health department for COVID-19 testing

Arizona COVID-19 Hotline 1-844-542-8201

Arkansas Department of Health

Arkansas COVID-19 Information

Arkansas Clinical Resources and Forms

California Department of Public Health

California COVID-19 Information

California Facility Letters (Mixed in with other information)

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Colorado COVID-19 Information

Colorado COVIC-19 Resources for Healthcare Providers

Colorado COVID-19 Hotline 303-389-1687 or 877-462-2911

Connecticut Department of Public Health

Connecticut COVID-19 Information

Connecticut healthcare departments to order tests

Delaware Division of Public Health

Delaware COVID-19 Information

Delaware Information for Healthcare Providers

Delaware COVID-19 Hotline 866-408-1899

District of Columbia Department of Health

DC COVID-19 Information

DC Notices for Healthcare Providers

Florida Department of Health

Florida COVID-19 Information and Tool Kit

Florida COVID-19 Guidance for Healthcare Providers

Florida COVID 19 Hotline 1-866-779-6121

Georgia Department of Public Health

Georgia COVID-19 Information

Hawaii Department of Health

Hawaii COVID-19 Information

Hawaii COVID-19 resources for Healthcare Providers

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

Idaho Information COVID-19

Illinois Department of Public Health

Illinois COVID-19 Information

Illinois COVID-19 Resources for Healthcare Providers

Indiana Department of Health

Indiana COVID-19 Information including Healthcare Providers

Indiana Instructions for COVID-19 Tests sent to state labs

Iowa Department of Public Health

Iowa COVID-19 Information including Healthcare Providers

Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Kansas COVID-19 Information including Healthcare Providers

Kentucky Department for Public Health

Kentucky COVID-19 Information including Healthcare Providers

Kentucky Division of Laboratory Services

Louisiana Department of Health

Louisiana COVID-19 Resources for Healthcare Providers

Maine Department of Health and Human Services

Maine COVID-19 Information including Healthcare Providers

Maryland Department of Health

Maryland COVID-19 Information including Healthcare Providers

Maryland COVID-19 suspected patient reporting line 410-767-6500

Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Massachusetts COVID-19 Information

Massachusetts COVID-19 Cases, Testing and Monitoring

Massachusetts COVID-19 Infectious Disease Reporting 617-983-6800

Michigan Department of Public Health

Michigan COVID-19 Information

Michigan Resources for Healthcare Providers

Minnesota Department of Health

Minnesota COVID-19 Information

Minnesota COVID-19 Hotline 651-201-3920

Mississippi State Department of Health

Mississippi COVID-19 Information

Mississippi Resources for Healthcare Providers

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

Missouri COVID-19 Information

Missouri Resources for Healthcare Providers

Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services<