The insured has a dwelling policy with earthquake coverages.

Our insured suffered a loss due to an earthquake on December 24, 2010. The land where the property sits cracked in various areas very close to the house. The house itself did not suffer any damage at all.

On August 22, 2011 tropical storm Irene hit the island of Puerto Rico and due to intense rain the land flooded and caused the terrain to shift, opening the cracks even more, making the house uninhabitable because it could collapse in any moment.

The insured is claiming the damages to the land due to the earthquake.

Supposing the earthquake caused the damages to the land, will the house have coverage even though it did not sustain any damage? What if the house suffers any damage down the road due to the incidents?

 Puerto Rico Subscriber

The earthquake did not make the house uninhabitable, the storm did. The land shifted due to the rain; while the prior earthquake may have weakened the ground it was not the cause of loss, therefore there is no earthquake coverage. The earthquake must cause damage to the property directly.