Summertime along the Texas coast means sun, sand, and fun, but longtime residents know it also carries the possibility of hurricanes and tropical storms.

Hurricane season officially began June 1, and meteorologists have forecasted an active, early start. Initial projections signaled an 80% chance of Texas being hit by a significant storm this season, but some experts worry that current conditions reflect an even higher risk.

In just over a month, Texas has already felt the effects of two named storms, including Hurricane Beryl, which became the earliest-forming Category 5 hurricane of its kind. Despite making landfall in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane, Beryl demonstrated the destruction these storms are capable of.

Hurricane Beryl was a stark reminder that the time to prepare is now. By the time a storm is set on its path, it may already be too late. Early preparation is key to preventing property damage, reducing hefty insurance claims, and even saving lives.

You should always have a plan to keep you and your family safe. This can include writing a family disaster plan, designating a place to go if you evacuate, and building a ‘go-kit’ with medicine, food, pet supplies, and other essentials. Additionally, be sure that important documents like insurance information and your home inventory list are in a safe, accessible place.

Take steps to prevent or minimize property damage for when–not if–a hurricane hits. Aside from boarding up your windows, there are many initiatives to take before a storm. Trim weak branches and trees that could fall on your house, seal outdoor openings to keep water out, and invest in hurricane shutters for an easier way to protect against flying debris. “Hardening” your home can keep you and your property safe and reduce your losses, which helps keep insurance rates down in the long run.

Even after taking preliminary action to minimize property damage, we must still plan for it. It is good practice to annually review your insurance policy to understand what and how much it will cover. Will your policy pay to replace the full value of your home? What about your home’s contents? Does your policy cover windstorm damages? How about the effects of flooding?

Before a storm’s formation, you have the opportunity to shop around for insurance policies that suit your needs. Once a named storm enters the Gulf of Mexico, most insurance companies, including the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA), pause the sale of new policies and prohibit changes to existing ones. As with all other methods of preparation, the time to make these adjustments is now.

Just like the members of our communities must be ready for a storm, the members of the state legislature must be ready to support them. Currently, private insurance companies write about half of the windstorm policies along the coast. The rest are covered by TWIA, the state-governed insurer of last resort in 14 coastal counties. As Senate District 27 encompasses six of these 14 counties, fortifying TWIA and insurance laws on behalf of my coastal community is at the forefront of my priorities.

Fortunately, TWIA is fully funded to meet its legal obligations to coastal residents for this hurricane season, which includes making claims payments. Over the last year and a half, I have continuously worked with stakeholders and TWIA to ensure proper management of these funds so they are readily available to policyholders who suffer covered losses. I will continue to do so as the season progresses.

The structure of TWIA’s funding and operations must be rooted in sound, sustainable practices that are sensitive to the needs of coastal residents. My team and I are actively working on legislation to ensure TWIA is adequately funded for this purpose, and we stand ready to lead this long-term policy effort when the legislature convenes in January.

I look forward to continuing to work with both coastal and inland legislators to promote awareness of TWIA’s state-wide impact. As one of the state’s largest regional economic drivers, prosperity along the coast fosters prosperity throughout the state. By keeping TWIA strong, we keep the coast strong, and by keeping the coast strong, we keep Texas strong.

This hurricane season, as we continue to make necessary preparations to cover our homes, know that I am also making necessary preparations to cover the coast. Over the coming months, I encourage you to keep an eye on TWIA deliberations that could impact storm preparation and recovery in the future. I invite you to contact my office with any questions or concerns on the matter, and I welcome you to send us your input.

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