Ferguson, Mo. continues to make national headlines amid hightensions over the unfortunate police shooting of unarmed 18-yearold Michael Brown on Aug. 9.

While much of the focus remains on the shooting, the resultingprotests and the severity of the police response, business ownersin the area have been caught in between, and have seen their storeslooted, burned and damaged as anger boils over.

Many firsthand accounts indicate only a few among the protestershave looted stores, or attempted to do so. In fact, it seems manyof the protesters have banded together to protect local businesses(A Huffington Post article aggregates on-the-scene tweets here describing the events). And Missouri Governor Jay Nixon,who today ordered the National Guard deployed to Ferguson, has saidrecent violent criminal acts appear to have been perpetrated, inmany cases, by people from outside the community and state.

For affected business owners, though, “how” and “by whom” arequestions that may be academic, and they are perhaps more concernedwith picking up the pieces and restoring their businesses.

In what may be a welcome bit of news for them, it seems therewould likely be coverage to help them get back on their feet,according to insurance experts. Susan Massmann, and FC&S Onlineeditor, says, “The ISO commercial property and businessownersprograms generally cover property damage caused by rioting,including looting occurring at the time and place of rioting. Ihave not seen anything to limit the coverage due to escalation ofevents,” such as today's action by Nixon calling in the NationalGuard.

FC&S is a property and casualty information service, and isowned by Summit Professional Networks, which also owns NationalUnderwriter and PC360.

Loretta Worters, Insurance Information Institute vice president,likewise says insurance policies should respond for Fergusonbusiness owners: “Commercial property insurance and homeownerspolicies generally include coverage for loss caused by 'riot orcivil commotion,'” she says. “Typically, property insurance underbusiness owners policies written on a named-peril basis includescoverage for direct physical loss caused by riot or civilcommotion, and looting at the time and place of theoccurrence.”

Worters adds, “Coverage for damage caused by rioting includeslooting by participants who steal merchandise or other propertyfrom premises that they have damaged and entered. It also coversfire. Vandalism is also a covered peril in business ownerspolicies.”

So how exactly is a “riot” or “civil commotion” defined forinsurance purposes? For a property-insurance policy, Massmann citesfour elements identified by the Mississippi Supreme Courtin Blackledge v. Omega Ins. Co., 740 So.2d 295 (Miss.1999):

“(1) unlawful assembly of three or more people (or lawfulassembly that, due to its violence and tumult, becomes unlawful),(2) acts of violence and (3) intent to mutually assist againstlawful authority. The common law clearly indicates that lawfulauthority is not limited to official law enforcement, but extendsto those whose rights are or may be injured and seek to protectthose rights. In addition, there must be some degree of (4) publicterror.”

(This definition is covered in the FC&S article “Riot or Civil Commotion Coverage.”)

Business owners might have further protections if they hadpurchased them. For example, Worters says, “Plate-glass-windowinsurance is an additional coverage that, if [business owners] hadit, would cover for any damage done to glass windows.”

She also discusses coverages for businesses, such as a drycleaner or automotive shop, that may be in temporary possession ofsomeone else's personal property. “There could be other coveragesthat a specific type of business would need to have that mayprovide some coverage such as bailee insurance for legal liabilityresulting from damage or destruction of a bailor's property whiletemporarily under the care or custody of a bailee,” Worterssays.

Business income/interruption coverage may also come into play,but Worters notes it is only triggered if there is physical damage“of such magnitude that the business must suspend itsoperations.”

She adds, “Most policies have a waiting period of several daysbefore business interruption coverage comes into play. Once it isin play, the coverage is not retroactive to the day of theevent.”