Top Volcano Insurance: What You Need to Know [2024]
Most homeowners policies can cover you from some damage related to a volcanic eruption, but there are some exceptions. It would be best if you review your homeowners insurance policy to check coverages for property loss related to an eruption's aftermath.
Free Home Insurance Comparison
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Michael Vereecke
Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist
Michael Vereecke is the president of Customers First Insurance Group. He has been a licensed insurance agent for over 13 years. He also carries a Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist (CLCS) Designation, providing him the expertise to spot holes in businesses’ coverage. Since 2009, he has worked with many insurance providers, giving him unique insight into the insurance market, differences in ...
Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist
UPDATED: Jan 26, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider.
Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different insurance providers please enter your ZIP code above to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.
UPDATED: Jan 26, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider.
Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different insurance providers please enter your ZIP code above to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
On This Page
Volcano insurance does not actually exist. Your home and possessions can be covered for the damages that are caused by a volcano, but these losses do not fall under a separate policy called volcano insurance. This needs to be included in a policyholder’s homeowners insurance coverage.
Get FREE quotes on the coverage you need by entering your ZIP code now!
It is not necessary to purchase a separate policy that will cover damages and losses caused by a volcanic eruption. When a volcano erupts, homeowners can experience damage to their homes, car and other personal property.
In these instances, the insurance policies that homeowners and car owners already have may be sufficient to cover the damages.
Most homeowners policies can cover you from some damage related to a volcanic eruption, but there are some exceptions. It would be best if you review your homeowners insurance policy to check coverages for property loss caused by a volcanic blast, airborne shock waves, ash, dust, or lava flow. Also, you should check how fire or explosion from volcanic eruptions is covered.
Under a standard homeowners policy, the volcano related damages that occur to the structure of a house will be covered.
This means that if the entire house needs to be rebuilt, the homeowners will have the money with which to do it. When you purchase your policies, you need to decide on coverage amounts. You have the choice of the actual cash value or the replacement value.
Actual Cash Value and Replacement Value
The actual cash value pertains to the damaged item’s current worth. If a washing machine is 10 years old, for example, the insurance company will offer the homeowners the value of the appliance minus 10 years of depreciation. This will be insufficient to purchase a new washing machine of exactly the same caliber as the lost one.
By choosing the replacement value, homeowners will receive the amount of money that will be required to replace the item at the current price. Depreciation will not be taken into consideration, and the homeowners will be able to purchase a new washing machine without taking anything out of pocket.
This coverage is more expensive than the actual cash value option. Read on for a more detailed explanation of the two coverage options.
Compare Insurance Providers Rates to Save Up to 75%
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
How to Insure the Contents of Your Home
A volcano eruption is one of the most destructive forces that can cause severe damage or destruction to homes, businesses, transportation, and agriculture. A typical homeowners insurance policy will also provide coverage for property damage if the occupants are forced to leave their homes.
Homeowners can also purchase insurance to cover the contents of the house. If these are damaged by a volcano, they will be replaced by the policy. Absolutely everything within the house may not fall under this portion of the insurance coverage, and these items may require that people purchase extra coverage for them.
The types of items that may need extra coverage are expensive artwork and personal belonging such as these.
Will you get a payment for the necessities of life?
After a house has been destroyed by a volcano, the homeowners will need to find other accommodations.
When displaced by volcanic damage a family or individual may need to pay for their hotels, for their meals, for clothes and all of the necessities that they lost.
A homeowner’s policy will pay for all of these expenses even when the reason for the house’s demise is due to a volcano.
Read more: Top Payment Protection Insurance Coverage: What You Need to Know
What are some volcano-related damages?
The portion of a homeowner’s policy that is volcano insurance comes into effect under several volcano-related circumstances. The homeowner’s policy will cover homeowners when there is damage due to:
- Volcanic ash
- Volcanic dust
- Volcanic blast
- Volcano-related shock waves
- Volcano-related fire
- Volcano-related explosions
- Lava
Compare Insurance Providers Rates to Save Up to 75%
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Are there any limitations of a homeowner’s insurance policy?
Unfortunately, earthquakes are, generally, not covered under the standard homeowner’s insurance policy. Earthquakes can trigger volcanoes, and the volcano can trigger an earthquake. If the house has damage from an earthquake, the homeowner’s policy will not cover it even if there was a volcanic eruption.
In the case of a volcano-related earthquake, homeowners may need to purchase an earthquake policy to supplement their volcano insurance. This policy will cover the damages due to the earthquake even if a volcano has erupted in close proximity.
In some cases, damages due to earthquakes are covered under the standard homeowner’s policy in limited circumstances. This may be the case if the area in which the house exists is prone to earthquakes, so there is a chance that earthquake damage may be included in the homeowner’s coverage.
Volcanic effusion (volcanic water and mud) is not covered under a typical homeowners policy, however, it is covered by flood insurance.
Check your policy carefully so you know exactly what is and is not covered.
Read more: Does Auto Insurance cover earthquake damage?
Is comprehensive coverage a volcano insurance for your car?
Vehicles that become damaged by volcanic eruption will not need to be covered by a separate volcano insurance policy.
If car owners have purchased the optional comprehensive coverage then they are adequately covered under their auto insurance policies.
So, damage to vehicles caused by a lava flow will be covered under an auto insurance policy for comprehensive coverage. Direct, sudden damage to your engine from volcanic ash or dust will also be covered.
Comprehensive coverage is the part of the policy that relates toward vehicle damages that were not caused by a collision. If your vehicle is damaged by a natural disaster, such as a volcano, you will only need to pay the applicable deductible and the insurance company will pay to have the vehicle repaired.
In some cases, the car cannot be repaired for less than it is worth. When this happens, the comprehensive coverage will replace the vehicle at the market value at the time of the volcanic activity.
Can travel insurance serve as volcano insurance?
Another form of volcano insurance is travel insurance. When Iceland’s volcano erupted, it forced airplanes to remain grounded, and many people were unable to take planned trips because of it. Travel insurance is the type of insurance that can make it so that the money already spent on the hotel accommodations and travel plans is not completely lost.
What does travel insurance cover? When a trip has to be postponed, the travel insurance policy provides coverage for:
- A trip’s cancellation or interruption
- A departure that has been delayed
- A missed connecting flight
- Delays that are weather-related
If the above reasons for a trip’s delay are caused by a volcano, the travel insurance will act as volcano insurance and offer the beleaguered travelers financial compensation.
Because of the events that occurred in 2010 with the volcanic eruption in Europe, the insurance industry is considering creating a separate volcano insurance package to cover these volcano-related issues.
As of now, travel insurance is what will be sufficient to address the needs of travelers who are going where volcanoes are active.
The time to purchase travel insurance as a volcano insurance policy is when you are making travel plans to any area with known volcanic activity. Once a volcano has started to erupt and the tickets have already been purchased, it is too late to insure this risk.
Read more: Top Travel Insurance: What You Need To Know
Compare Insurance Providers Rates to Save Up to 75%
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
How to Compare Quotes From Several Insurance Companies
With the many insurance companies that sell homeowner’s insurance policies, auto insurance policies, and travel insurance, you have several options for finding the lowest prices. Seeking several quotes means that homeowners, car owners, and travelers will be able to compare the prices they receive from all of these companies.
What is so advantageous about that is that some companies will charge less than others. Each has a different criteria for setting rates, and some will be better for you than others.
Finding the companies that charge less is extremely easy with a third party comparison tool. You can get free quotes and then choose the company that has the best price for your insurance needs.
Get your FREE insurance quotes now by typing your ZIP code right here!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a separate insurance policy called volcano insurance?
No, volcano insurance as a standalone policy does not exist. Damage caused by a volcanic eruption is typically covered under a homeowner’s insurance policy.
Can my homeowners insurance cover damages from a volcanic eruption?
Yes, most homeowners insurance policies can cover some damage related to a volcanic eruption. However, it’s important to review your policy to check the coverage for property loss caused by volcanic blast, airborne shock waves, ash, dust, or lava flow. Fire or explosion from volcanic eruptions may also be covered.
What types of damages are covered under a standard homeowners insurance policy?
A standard homeowners insurance policy can cover damages to the structure of a house caused by a volcano. This means that if the entire house needs to be rebuilt, the insurance will provide the necessary funds. The coverage options include actual cash value (with depreciation) or replacement value (without depreciation).
Are there any limitations to homeowners insurance coverage for volcano-related damages?
Earthquakes are generally not covered under a standard homeowners insurance policy. If an earthquake occurs as a result of a volcanic eruption, the damages may not be covered. In such cases, homeowners may need to purchase separate earthquake insurance to supplement their volcano insurance coverage. Volcanic effusion (volcanic water and mud) is also not covered, but it can be covered by flood insurance.
Does car insurance cover damages caused by volcanic eruptions?
If you have comprehensive coverage as part of your car insurance policy, damages to your vehicle caused by a volcanic eruption, such as lava flow or direct damage from volcanic ash or dust, will be covered. Comprehensive coverage handles damages not caused by collisions.
Can travel insurance cover volcano-related trip disruptions?
Yes, travel insurance can provide coverage for trip delays or cancellations due to volcanic eruptions. If volcanic ash causes flights to be grounded or travel plans to be interrupted, travel insurance can provide financial compensation for lost expenses, such as hotel accommodations and prepaid travel costs.
Compare Insurance Providers Rates to Save Up to 75%
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Michael Vereecke
Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist
Michael Vereecke is the president of Customers First Insurance Group. He has been a licensed insurance agent for over 13 years. He also carries a Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist (CLCS) Designation, providing him the expertise to spot holes in businesses’ coverage. Since 2009, he has worked with many insurance providers, giving him unique insight into the insurance market, differences in ...
Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.