Heavy winds uprooted trees, heavy winds damaged homes and cars were smashed by falling branches. All that happened in just a few hours in San Diego after surprise storms hit the area Tuesday.
But what takes minutes to destroy can takes weeks or months to repair. That's why it is important to understand your insurance policy.
In general, when a wind storm knocks a tree down onto your home, it's your homeowners insurance that will pay the damage.
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If rain gets into your home because of the storm and causes more problems, again it's your homeowners insurance that steps up.
But if a tree limb lands on the car in your driveway, does your homeowners policy pay for that? It does not.
For repairs, you need to turn to your car insurance, and in many cases only comprehensive coverage will pay for the damage.
But what if your tree lands on a neighbor's house? State Farm agent Walt Waggener says it's not your problem.
"If it is your tree that falls on a neighbor's house, typically you have no liability if it is a storm that causes the problem," said Waggener.
In that case, your neighbor's homeowners insurance will be responsible.
What if your toppled tree does not land on your car or house or neighbor's house? Will your insurance pay to clean it up? Generally the answer is no.
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You will be responsible to clean up the tree yourself; your homeowner's policy will not pay the cost to cut up and remove the tree.
However, if the tree lands on city-owned property, it is the city's problem because storm damage is not your responsibility.
It's important to note that a storm damage claim on your comprehensive policy for your car should not increase the insurance premiums you pay.
But that may not be the case with your homeowners policy. A storm claim could increase future premiums unless the area is declared a state or federal disaster area.
These are general rules, and home and car owners should contact their insurance company for specific details on their policy.
