Following the recent landslide in La Jolla, many homeowners may be wondering what disasters their insurance will cover.

Homeowner insurance policies are extensive contracts that cover threats that typically include fire and lightning, windstorm or hail, explosions, riots, aircraft or vehicle collisions into the home, smoke, vandalism and theft. They also have specific exclusions for some catastrophic risks.

Chief among standard exclusions in homeowner policy are damages from earth movement caused by a landslide, mudslide or sinkhole. While earthquakes and floods are also excluded, homeowners may purchase separate policies to cover damage from these risks.

In order to understand what you are and are not insured for, it’s important to review your insurance coverage with your company or agent regularly, said Candysse Miller, executive director of the Insurance Information Network of California.

A recent survey commissioned by IINC found that more than two-thirds of Californians believe that it is their responsibility to keep their insurance up-to-date, but only 36 percent had read their policy in the last year.

IINC offers free, easy-to-use Web tools to help homeowners prepare for the unexpected, including financial planning and home inventory software. The newest offering, “Insurance 411,” helps consumers organize their insurance information into a wallet-sized card. In the event of an evacuation, the Insurance 411 card will ensure that they have their insurance and emergency contact information available.

IINC is a non-profit, non-lobbying insurance association dedicated to helping consumers understand insurance and the issues that affect it. For more information, visit the IINC Web site at www.iinc.org.