The winter months pose several obvious hazards from snow and ice, but there are a number of other risks that arise as people spend more time indoors or travel in inclement weather. The chance of fires increases, as do the dangers from carbon monoxide poisoning, burst pipes and ice dams. Jessica Hanson Hanna, senior vice president of public affairs for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) said that winter storms "cause more than $1 billion in insured losses each year." Knowing what the risks are and how to avert them can help prevent costly repairs such as frozen pipes or even worse outcomes. Check out the slideshow above to see some of the dangers that come with winter and tips on how policyholders can mitigate them. Related: |

   

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Patricia L. Harman

Patricia L. Harman is the editor-in-chief of Claims magazine, a contributing editor to PropertyCasualty360.com, and chairs the annual America's Claims Event (ACE), which focuses on providing claims professionals with cutting-edge education and networking opportunities. She covers auto, property & casualty, workers' compensation, fraud, risk and cybersecurity, and is a frequent speaker at insurance industry events. Contact her at [email protected]

Coverage & Policy Issues
Catastrophe & Restoration
Personal Lines
Weather Risk