The Day I Almost Lost My House

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Watching 8 years of home, lovingly put together, cracked, broken, ALL Gone!! Where were we going to live? What's going to happen to us now?..

I left the house, which we lived in for 8 years, without saying good-bye.

Not that there was much left of it anyway.

I could still see parts of our lives scattered in a heap- Miss P’s favourite scooter, its red handle playing hide and seek from between the rubble.

My favourite velvet curtain caught under a brick stone, desperately fluttering to get away.

A hundred thoughts ran through my mind.

Our beautiful home, located on a tree-lined street was our first home. Squirrels lived in the trees, and the bougainvillea bloomed through the year. As soon as Hubby and I walked through the front door, we knew we’d found The One.

It wasn’t the home’s tiled roofs or the French windows that enchanted us, but rather the future we saw for ourselves there: The large dining room that could accommodate family get-togethers and neighbourhood parties. Built-in bookcases lined the living room, waiting to be filled; The long corridors that would fill with my unborn child’s laughter.  And in the spacious kitchen, surely I would finally cook up amma’s famous delicacies.

We booked our home the same day.

Our first years living there were dreamy and wonderful. Watching our daughter take her first steps, celebrating her numerous birthdays, school, fun, family, love – Perfect!

And one day it happened. We felt the ground shake beneath us and the whole room swayed. We grabbed Miss P and ran out on the street barefoot.

We stood shivering in the cold, the three of us, watching 8 years of home, lovingly put together, cracked, broken, ALL Gone!! Where are we going to live? What’s going to happen now? I screamed.

I woke up in the middle of the night, my heart slamming wildly against my chest. It was a Dream!!

I held my daughter close and leaned into my husband’s embrace a little tighter. We are safe. We are Okay. It’s going to be alright.

Just a dream!

But it was a dream that could easily come true. Since the beginning of 2016, we have seen six major earthquakes in South Asia. That means on an average, there were two earthquakes in South Asia every month. Here is an article for reference that appeared on Firstpost on 14 April 2016: Natural time-bomb: Alarming frequency of earthquakes in South Asia should worry us.

We did what any sensible Home Owner needed to do – bought ourselves a House Insurance the very next day. An earthquake, a robbery, a flood could take away our house or belongings. But NOT OUR HOME!

What is house insurance? 

Home Insurances in India, like ICICI Lombard Home Insurancenot only cover burglaries, theft, fires and act of terrorism but also cover natural calamities like Earthquake, Floods, Cyclones, and Storms. So, if god forbid, we find ourselves in any such situation, I can walk away from our broken home or even rebuild it. But my promise to my child —that we’ll like our new house even better—will come true.

Is home insurance really necessary?  Does it really pay off later if I insure my home now? I’m not in an area that gets floods or an earthquake! Do I really need it? You’ve probably asked at least one of these questions when buying a house. But the truth is, insuring your biggest investment is important.

A lot of effort goes into making a house a home.  Having a home insurance policy in place will protect that investment â€“ especially since we spend a lot of our earnings and savings buying new stuff and decorating our homes.

In the case of an unfortunate event of something happening to your house, having insurance will help you rebuild your home again.

What is covered? 

Home insurance often pays for damage, theft or destruction of your belongings.  Likewise, if there is a fire or other catastrophe, your homeowner’s policy will help pay to replace or repair your expensive belongings.

So what are you waiting for? Have you insured your home yet? Or are you waiting for a bad dream to wake you up too?

I was sponsored to write my views about Home insurance & its importance. All views & opinions are mine only. Please read our disclosure policy for more details. 

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