St. Petersburg Beach, Florida -- As hurricane Katrina bears down on New Orleans, a little known clause in most travel insurance policies could really make a difference, but only if you know you are eligible to make a claim. Most travel insurance policies have a clause allowing the insured traveler to return home if their home is rendered uninhabitable.

One insurance agent squaremouth.com www.squaremouth.com -- a website that specializes in comparing all the major travel insurance plans -- routinely checks through its database during severe weather events for customers who live within the affected area but have already left on vacation. They then contact the traveler, letting them know they can return home and make a claim.

Chris Harvey, President of squaremouth.com says, "We are based in St Pete Beach in Tampa Bay, Florida, so we are acutely aware of the issues surrounding the potential damage to your home from hurricanes. If you are on vacation and your home is damaged we know you will most likely return home immediately. We also know you probably will not make a claim for the return flight or the unused portion of your vacation because you may not realize you can. If you are insured through us and you live in an affected area, we will contact you as soon as possible to let you know you can claim, so there is one less thing to worry about." Other facts about how hurricanes and severe weather impact travel insurance:

• You can claim if your flight is cancelled because you are either traveling to or traveling from an area affected by the hurricane.

• You can claim if you are in an area that is under a mandatory evacuation and you have to leave for a few days.

• You can claim if you are in an area that is under a mandatory evacuation order and you have to either cut short or extend your vacation.

• You can claim if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the storm.

• You cannot make a claim if the hurricane or storm was named BEFORE you purchased insurance.

This is an important part of any type of insurance and is referred to as a "named event". Chris Harvey explains: "A named event clause exists within most policies to protect the insurance companies by stopping people buying insurance when they know something bad may happen. As soon as a tropical depression becomes a tropical storm and gets a name, insurance companies will not provide coverage. This clause is also relevant for other events like terrorism and airline strikes."