Are you protected from the weather?
It蘑菇视频 a beautiful sunny morning. The weather forecast calls for the possibility of some late afternoon thunderstorms, but the percentage is low so you decide to continue with your plans to bike ride the Great Allegheny Passage and spend the night camping out along the trail.
You have good equipment and the night should be comfortable even if it would rain a bit. You find the perfect spot, set up camp and make dinner. Just as you are cleaning up you hear a few rumbles of thunder in the distance. The rumbles grow louder and closer and soon rain begins to fall, gently at first and then in torrents. The wind is also increasing and within minutes branches are falling and you are getting worried.
You decide to abandon the tent and take cover in a small rocky ravine just a short distance from your campsite. Lightening is flashing the wind is howling and more branches are falling. Thank goodness for the few rocks that allow for some shelter. Twenty minutes later the storm moves on, the rain subsides and you return to find a good sized tree limb has crashed your tent and bicycle. Your perfect campsite is a mess and a lot of your equipment is damaged and destroyed including you expensive new bike. Except for being soaking wet you are OK. Even though it蘑菇视频 almost dark you decide to try and walk back to you car. You can come back and try and retrieve your gear tomorrow.
It蘑菇视频 about six miles to the car and the trail has lots of debris and branches strewn about. You have a phone but it蘑菇视频 not working and unknown to you the storm was part of a larger complex of severe weather that moved through the area causing widespread damage. The system developed quickly in Ohio and moved rapidly eastward, spawning a few tornadoes along with the severe thunderstorms.
After a rather terrifying hike back to your car, you find that the storm has also knocked down poles and a large tree has fallen on your car, causing the roof to cave in and breaking all your windows. The heavy rain has soaked the interior and the electrical system. The parking lot is covered with branches and debris and now you hear the sound of sirens in the distance. The little town just beyond the parking lot is dark apparently from the power lines being down. You are exhausted and decide it might be best to just stay put in a small visitor center that has some dry space. It蘑菇视频 dark and lonely and a bit scary, but you are okay and maybe by morning your phone will work and someone can come and pick you up and take you home. You fall asleep on a bench and awaken in a few hours to the sound of chain saws and sirens. Apparently, power is out over a wide area and the damage and injuries are extensive. The local fire department is out and you are able to call and let folks know you are safe. It will be a while before roads are clear, but plans call for you to be picked up several hours later.
On the ride home you have time to think about your car, bike and camping gear. Even though the car was an older model, you decided to keep comprehensive insurance on the vehicle sine the condition was good and the mileage low. The car turns out to be a total loss and you are reimbursed for the actual cash value of the car in like kind and condition. This should be enough to get you back on the road in a decent vehicle. As for the bike and gear, you also have a homeowner蘑菇视频 insurance policy which will pay for the replacement of the bike and the gear. The bike was new and a bit expensive, but having a policy with a replacement cost feature will allow for these items to be replaced with like kind and quality with no deduction for depreciation.
Two weeks later, you are driving down the road in you new vehicle and thinking about the offer to do a three day bike trip with a group of friends. After hearing your story, the group has decided to do a bit more planning on the weather forecast and stay in motels instead of camping out. You鈥檙e okay with that.
Enjoy your summer, and if I can offer a bit of advice from my weather and insurance backgrounds, always look at more than one weather forecast. I usually check out three or four different sources before planning outside activities. Lastly. don鈥檛 forget to review your insurance. Is it up to date? Does it offer the replacement cost advantage?