While spring is finally returning to much of the country, we won't soon forget the record levels of snow that piled up this past winter. And as winter damage claims have begun to pour in, FC&S has received a flurry of questions regarding loss of income due to roads and businesses closing because of snow.

For instance, an FC&S subscriber submitted this problem:

We recently had a snow emergency due to blizzard conditions for forty-eight hours where people were advised to stay off the roads except for emergencies or employers who required their employees to be at work. If you had no business being on the roads, you could be ticketed. The snow emergency was declared by the local sheriff for the entire county.

My insured is a fraternal lodge, which suffered a drop in income from its bar operation because members could not come in because of the declared snow emergency.

Our client is asking for coverage under the business income form. Under the additional coverage for civil authority, there is coverage after 72 hours. Does a snow emergency, declared by the local sheriff, where people are asked to stay off the roads, constitute a civil authority claim?