Vis Major
Categories: Insurance
It was an act of God, a natural disaster, a vis major!
Those all mean the same thing: something destructive happened, and it wasn’t caused (or able to be prevented) by humans. We’re innocent, we tell you.
The things humans still can’t control after hundreds of years, even though we can watch puppy videos from just about anywhere: hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes...the whole natural disaster arena. In some jurisdictions, vis major may include war, riots, and strikes...depends on the exact definition.
Regular natural events, like windstorms in the desert and heavy rainfall on the equator, probably won’t be covered under vis major. Neither is negligence or vandalism. Usually, vandalism is its own clause.
If you own property, you should check your property insurance for vis major (or force majeure) clauses for info on your exact coverage.
