Your homeowners policy covers tornado damage. It does not cover the first $9,000 to $15,000 of it, and it does not pay for weeks. That first number is the wind and hail deductible, usually 3 to 5 percent of the dwelling coverage on an Oklahoma home; the second is how long a full claim takes when a storm has put every adjuster in the state on the road. Tornado supplement insurance exists for exactly that gap. It is a second, small policy from Sola that OKC Insurance Brokers writes beside your home policy: when the National Weather Service confirms a tornado at your address and you confirm the damage, it pays a set amount of cash to your bank within days, with no deductible and no adjuster. Most of our clients use it for the deductible. Some use it for the hotel and the tree crew.
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Why Oklahoma homeowners buy it
The deductible gap
On a $300,000 home a 3 percent wind and hail deductible is $9,000 and a 5 percent deductible is $15,000, out of your pocket before your carrier pays a dollar. The supplement is priced to cover that check.
Weeks vs days
After a metro tornado the main claim waits for an adjuster, an estimate and a contractor. The supplement pays on the weather service's data, usually within days of the storm survey.
The costs nobody reimburses fast
Tarps, tree removal, a hotel the first week, the things your policy pays late or against a sub-limit. Cash in hand covers them without a credit card.
Edmond, Yukon, OKC
Available for every property you live in or own, so a landlord with three rentals in the metro can cover each one.
How the policy works
- A tornado damages your insured property. The National Weather Service surveys the path and publishes its findings, usually within a few days, including the EF rating along the track.
- Sola matches the published path to insured addresses and sends you a text and an email asking whether your property was damaged.
- You confirm the damage through the link, log in or create your account with the policy information, and choose direct deposit.
- The money is transferred to your account. The amount depends on the EF rating reported at your location and the coverage limit you bought; a higher rating and a higher limit pay more.
- Your homeowners claim proceeds on its own track with us handling it. The supplement does not reduce it and does not wait for it.
No internet after the storm? Text or call us at (405) 509-9433; the claim does not depend on the portal. If you were in the path and were not contacted, or were contacted and had no damage, tell us and we sort it out with Sola.
What it covers, and what it does not
Pays
A set cash amount on a National Weather Service confirmed tornado at your address, when you attest to actual property damage. Partial damage qualifies. No deductible. No restriction on how you spend it.
Does not pay
Hail. Straight-line wind. Flood. Damage to vehicles. A tornado that did not reach your address on the published path. A tornado that happened before the policy was in force or inside the five-day waiting period.
Who
Homeowners, one policy per property you live in or own. Business property coverage was not yet offered at our last check; ask, it changes.
Where
Oklahoma and Texas, and about a dozen other tornado states. We write and service it here; the policy is Sola's, the phone call after the storm is ours.
How much does tornado supplement insurance cost?
The premium is set by the coverage limit you choose. We do not print a figure, because the right limit is the size of your wind and hail deductible plus the first week's costs, and that is a different number for a $200,000 home in Yukon and a $600,000 home in Edmond. Ask for it on your home quote and you get the supplement quoted beside the home policy and beside the other way to close the same gap, below.
Tornado supplement or a deductible buy-down?
Two products close the wind and hail deductible gap, and they are not the same.
| Tornado supplement (Sola) | Deductible buy-down | |
|---|---|---|
| Pays on | A confirmed tornado at your address, by EF rating | Any wind or hail claim on your home policy |
| Hail | No | Yes, and hail is the more frequent Oklahoma claim |
| How it pays | Set cash amount, direct deposit, within days | Reimburses the deductible gap after the home claim settles |
| Adjuster | None; weather service data plus your attestation | Follows the home claim's adjustment |
| Best for | Cash the week of a tornado; metro homes in the historic paths | Anyone worried about the hail deductible every spring |
Plenty of our clients carry both. Which one, or both, is a conversation about your deductible in dollars, your savings and your address; it takes five minutes on the home quote.
Managing the policy
- Portal. Your Sola account shows the policy, the payout zones and tornado polygons from past storms, and your payment method. We can update it with you.
- Moved? The policy follows an address, not a person. Tell us and we update it or write a new one for the new home.
- Cancel. Any time. Talk to us first; cancelling in April and rebuying in June puts you in the waiting period during the season.
- Complaints or a claim question. Call us. We are the agent of record and we take it to Sola.
Tornado supplement questions we get asked
What is tornado supplement insurance?
A parametric policy, written by Sola, that pays a fixed cash amount when the National Weather Service confirms a tornado at your property and you attest that the property was damaged. It is not a replacement for homeowners insurance. It is the money that arrives in days while your home policy's claim takes weeks, and most people use it for the wind and hail deductible.
Does my homeowners policy already cover tornadoes?
Yes, under the wind coverage, minus the wind and hail deductible, which in Oklahoma is usually 3 to 5 percent of your dwelling coverage: $9,000 to $15,000 on a $300,000 home, out of your pocket before the carrier pays anything. The supplement exists for that gap and for the first weeks of expenses before the main claim settles.
How much does tornado supplement insurance cost?
The premium is set by the coverage limit you choose, and we quote it alongside your home policy so you can compare it with a deductible buy-down. We do not print a figure here because the limit that fits a $200,000 home in Yukon is not the limit that fits a $600,000 home in Edmond; ask for it on your home quote and you get both numbers.
How fast does it pay?
Within days of the National Weather Service publishing its survey of the storm, usually a few days after the tornado. Sola texts and emails you, you confirm the damage through the link, choose direct deposit, and the money goes to your bank. No adjuster visit.
Does it cover hail or straight-line wind?
No. It pays for tornadoes only, confirmed by the National Weather Service with an EF rating at your address. Hail and straight-line wind damage go through your homeowners policy. If the hail deductible is the gap you are worried about, the deductible buy-down policy is the product for that, and we quote both.
Can I buy it after a tornado has been forecast or has hit?
No. The policy has to be in force before the tornado, and there is a five-day waiting period after purchase. Buy it on a quiet week in winter; the policy year covers the spring.
Is there a deductible, and can I use the money for anything?
There is no deductible on the supplement itself. The payout is yours to use for anything: your home policy's deductible, a hotel, tarps and tree removal, the things the main claim reimburses late or not at all.
Who can buy it, and where?
Homeowners, for each property you live in or own, in Oklahoma, Texas and about a dozen other states. Business property coverage was not yet available at the last check. It is sold through agents; OKC Insurance Brokers writes it and services it, so the call after a storm comes to us, not to a portal.
GET A TORNADO SUPPLEMENT QUOTE
Related: tornado insurance in Oklahoma (what the home policy pays and what it costs), the wind and hail deductible guide, the deductible buy-down policy, and Oklahoma home insurance.