Insurance agents in Faulkner County say more and more people are signing up for earthquake insurance after a swarm of quakes in the past two weeks near Guy and Greenbriar. But earthquake insurance doesn't work the same as most types of insurance.
Dave Kirchner has lived in Guy three years and his family never experienced as many quakes as it has the past two weeks.
Kirchner said, "Every morning you wake up and there's usually one every morning."
Most homeowners insurance policies in Arkansas do not automatically cover quakes, but the 4.0 quake October 11th convinced Kirchner to get quake coverage. Seismologists say quakes 4.0 and above have enough power to damage your house.
Kirchner said, "I mean, I got $250,000 tied up (in the house). You wouldn't live on a river without flood insurance."
People around Guy say they've mostly seen damage like broken pictures and windows. But where the insurance would really pay off would be if you had damage to your foundation or your bricking: something that would take a lot of money to repair.
Coy Roberts with Farm Bureau Insurance in Conway says that's because most quake policies have a deductible that's 5 or 10 percent of the value of your home. So if you have a $100,000 home your deductible could be $10,000. But Roberts says in cases of major damage it does pay off.
Roberts said, "Insurance is designed for catastrophe-type stuff. And if we did have a major earthquake that 10 percent would be small price if your home was totally destroyed."
The average annual cost is only about $250 but it can change depending on your home. And Coy says of the 200 people who called about quake insurance after the 4.0 earthquake 100 got it.
The seismologists at UALR recorded 3 or 4 times the number of quakes in the past 2 weeks that they typically see in Faulkner County and they say they're getting stronger. Kirchner feels better knowing he has insurance.
Those with the U.S. Geological Survey recorded more than 20 quakes in the area in the past 2 weeks and that number keeps rising. Experts at UALR say hot pockets of water in the earth's crust could be causing the quakes.
