VALDOSTA – With a Freeze Watch in effect Monday night until Tuesday morning for much of South Georgia and North Florida, residents may want to take extra precautions.

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee has issued a Freeze Watch from midnight Monday to 9 a.m. Tuesday. Minimum temperatures are expected between 27 and 30 degrees in Lowndes, Tift, Colquitt, Cook, Berrien, Brooks, Lanier and several other counties in South Georgia and North Florida.

A Freeze Watch means sub-freezing temperatures are possible. Sub-freezing temperatures could last from four to six hours in the Lowndes County area.

The Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner has released the following tips to prevent damage to homes from freezing temperatures and how damage may be covered by insurance policies.

“Depending on the source of the property damage, you may or may not be covered,” said Ralph T. Hudgens, commissioner. “Here’s what a typical homeowners policy may pay for”:

• Repairing damage to internal plumbing caused by freezing will generally be covered by your homeowners policy. The policy should also pay for damage to carpeting, furniture, and other belongings caused by your own pipes freezing.
• However, damage from water entering your home from an outside source, such as a broken water main, may not be covered. Damage from external waters may be classified as “flood” or “seepage,” which is not covered by a standard homeowners policy.
• If you live in an apartment or condominium, and water from an upstairs neighbor’s pipes damages your property, you will be covered under your own renters (or condo owners) policy. If you don’t have such coverage, the neighbor’s liability policy may pay for your damage, but only if you can prove the neighbor was negligent.
• Repairs to frozen pipes on your property but not in the home, such as in your yard, are not covered by standard homeowners insurance.

Commissioner Hudgens also warned that cold temperatures sometimes result in dangerous fires as a result of carelessness with home heating devices. For example, if you use space heaters or wood stoves in cold weather, remember to keep them away from combustibles like curtains and bedding. In 2014, 102 Georgians died in residential home fires.