Our Opinion: Students need to look into renter’s insurance policies to see if they are the right choice to protect their possessions.

Home is where the heart is.

But what if something happens to your home?

While watching the evening news, we see stories of floods and fires and say, “That’ll never happen to me.” But never say never.

During the weekend, 18 people became displaced after a fire at Ivy Chase Apartments. Almost everything they kept inside their homes — clothes, electronics, books, photo albums — was damaged or ruined in the blink of an eye.

For those who had renter’s insurance, the misfortune was a little less traumatic because they had a company backing them financially.

But if that should happen to your home — who will have your back?

Think of how much money you invest into protection each year with health and car insurance. Renter’s insurance is a way of protecting investments you’ve already made.

As students, we also spend a lot of money on things to enrich our educations, such as computers, printers, textbooks and other school supplies.

Putting a little more money into these possessions will only add to their security.

Renter’s insurance obviously isn’t for everyone. Some people only keep the bare necessities in their dorm rooms or apartments. But for those who call Raleigh “home” and have completely moved out of their parents’ houses, it is necessary to protect both materials and memories.

When a fire, flood or some other disaster strikes your home, it doesn’t care if it destroys a pair of jeans you never wear or your favorite stuffed animal from childhood — everything is fair game. Spending a little money now will help prevent both financial and emotional losses down the road if something should happen.

Some material possessions are more than just things. They are memories.

So the best way to go about this is to do research to see if you are covered under your parents’ policy, if you can afford it or if it would even be worth the money.

It might seem a little over dramatic to wrap your mind around worst-case scenarios, but life is all about hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.