MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – While Hurricane Irene is still several days away from possibly impacting South Florida, the time to contact your Citizens Insurance agent with questions about your policy is now.

Previously, Citizens had a “coverage exclusion box” that would be put into place and if a storm entered that box, customers couldn’t amend their coverage or buy a new policy.

But changes made this year say that whenever a named storms’ watch or warning is issued anywhere in the state, Citizens Insurance freezes coverage. This means customers can’t change their policies and no new policies will be written during that time.

Different rules may apply to other private insurers, including the coverage exclusion box. Check with your insurer as soon as possible to find out the rules of your policy in case you need to make any changes.

While the forecast could change considerably over the next 5 days, it’s a good time to review your hurricane plan if you’ve not yet done so, check on hurricane supplies on-hand, and keep a watchful eye on Irene’s progress.

• You can get complete details on the storm, including up-to date maps and forecasts, at the CBSMiami Tropical Weather Center.
• You can also check on preps for tropical weather with checklists, shutter advice, and even preparation videos at CBSMiami Hurricane Preps