Does homeowners insurance cover nor'easter damage?

A nor'easter is not a named peril in most filed homeowners forms. The policy looks at what actually did the damage: wind, rain, snow and ice, or rising water.

Wind damage — shingles or siding torn off, a tree blown onto the house, a window broken by debris — is generally handled under Windstorm or Hail.

Coastal flooding, storm surge, waves and water that rises from the ground are generally excluded under the water exclusion. That water is normally covered only by a separate flood policy, such as one from the National Flood Insurance Program.

Rain that got in only because wind first made an opening is usually treated as part of the wind loss. Water seeping through an old, worn roof or a basement wall usually isn't.

Some coastal policies apply a windstorm or named-storm deductible. Nor'easters are rarely named, so whether that larger deductible applies depends on how your policy words its trigger.

Most forms also set deadlines for reporting a loss and ask you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage after the storm.