PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -Hurricane season begins in June and now is the time to take a look at your homeowner’s insurance policy.

“A lot of times we just assume what’s in the policy. And we think we know or understand what an insurance policy covers. But it’s really extremely important that either you read the policy, you ask your agent to explain the insurance policy, or you approach a consumer advocate, a public adjuster, or an association like ours,” Edwin Leal, president of the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, said”

In addition to your policy you should also know what your deductible is, so you know how much you would be paying out of pocket if something were to happen.

“Hurricanes can have their own deductible and a lot of times people are not aware that that can go from 1% to 2% to 5%. I have even seen it as high as 10% of your coverage. A quick example, if you have a $500,000 policy and you have a 5% deductible, it’s a substantial dollar amount. It’s not $2500, you know it’s $25,000. So you could be telling the insurance company ‘Hey, I’m insuring myself for the first $25,000.’ I don’t think a lot of people are aware of that prior to a storm,” Leal said.

Experts recommend that you take the time now to take a video or photo of everything inside and outside of your home as well. That is so you have a digital record in case your home is damaged in a storm

“When a category 5 storm hits and it rips your roof off your house, it takes a lot of your belongings. When you’re trying to put it back together on a list and you’re an emotional wreck because it’s such an overwhelming situation, you’ll be surprised how many items you forget about. They’re out of sight. They’re out of mind and you don’t see them,” Leal said.

Also, don’t forget about purchasing flood insurance.

“Take into consideration that they have a grace period. So it’s not like you can wait till there’s a hurricane in the Gulf or a hurricane in the Atlantic to go buy your flood policy because you’re probably going to be a little too late,” Leal said.

So take a day before June to go over your policy, make a video of what is inside and outside of your home, and purchase flood insurance if you don’t already have it.

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