insurance companies are the worst

Last week there as an earthquake and a hurricane in our area.  Luckily, there weren't any damage to our properties as I can see so far.  However, other people did not fair as well.  From the images of the earthquake, some homes were pretty badly damaged in the earthquake.  On top of that, the hurricane come a few days later and battered those homes even more.

Even though the earthquake as a small one, it's effect was magnified by the fact there we don't expect it on the East Coast.  Most people don't have earthquake insurance.  Why would they consider something that would maybe happen once every one hundred years?  It turns out that if there is any substantial damage, they can't claim it against their home owners policy because the didn't buy earthquake insurance. 

Same thing with the flood insurance.  Hurricane don't usually hit the Northeast with that much force.  So for most people who live above a certain flood line, they don't bother getting flood insurance.  Then once every 10 years, a hurricane comes a bit strong.

I can understand how insurance companies would not want to pay out because potential fraud, but  it seems pretty heartless when people are out of a home.  If we are all to buy those plans for the once in a 10 or 100 years occurrence, it would add to our already high expenses.  However, seem that their people who lost their homes, and insurance companies won't pay for it, what are we really to do?

Seems like only the insurance companies win,

to insure or not to insure

I am talking about life insurance.  It's kinda of a morbid game insurance companies play with you.  They bet that you won't die, you bet that you will.  If you die,  your beneficiaries win.  If you don't the insurance companies win.  Very depressing, but kinda necessary. 

The basic term life coverage is pretty low cost, and only goes up drastically as you reach 60+.  With that, you get a very small amount that just pretty much covers the expense of you funeral.  This is worth the small payments so your loved ones don't have to dig into their emergency savings. 

However, if you have debt that your estate can not pay, your loved ones will be inheriting that elephant.  So getting a little more than basic would be good. Right?  How much?  Do get coverage equal to your salary of 1 year, 2 years, or a set amount, like equal to your mortgage?  These extras will start pushing the premiums up.  So at what point do you say I have enough coverage?  Or do you say I can afford this much $$ per month so I'll get as much I can for that?