One of the top news stories is the possibility of a mandatory evacuation for North Carolina’s Outer Banks because of the hurricane that is boiling away in the Atlantic.
Is it covered by travel insurance? Yes, some policies will cover the mandatory evacuations. We have some interesting articles on that subject. However, North Carolina vacationers may also have another recourse. Under § 42A 36 of the North Carolina code provides for a full refund
“for each night that the tenant is unable to occupy the property because of the mandatory evacuation order. The tenant shall not be entitled to a refund if: (i) prior to the tenant taking possession of the property, the tenant refused insurance offered by the landlord or real estate broker that would have compensated the tenant for losses or damages resulting from loss of use of the property due to a mandatory evacuation order…”
Some helpful links:
Outer Banks Hurricane Information
National Hurricane Center RSS feed for Atlantic Basin
So if a vacationer wasn’t offered travel insurance when they rented their vacation property than they might be eligible for a refund under NC law.
Several travel policies offer specific coverage for mandatory evacuations under the covered reasons for trip cancellation and interruption coverages. A helpful way of researching this is to visit our weather comparison chart which allows you to find the right plan for your weather concerns.
This article was updated as of 7/3/2014