Do You Have Storm Coverage?

6/10/2022 (Permalink)

An insurance agent reached out to me to call a customer of his that had significant water damage in his flooded basement.  The agent knew the customer needed our services, but he didn’t know if the damage would be covered.  The determining factor would rest on how the adjuster classified the cause of loss. 

When I called the customer, I was told by them that there was over two inches of standing water covering the1500sf finished basement.   The flooring was laminate and there were multiple rooms of furniture and other contents that were affected.   Their assessment of how the water had gained access to the home was due the heavy torrential rains that had occurred the previous night.  Based on this information and that of the agent, it was clear that there would likely be no insurance coverage for this massive loss.  This is because homeowners’ insurance does not cover flood water damage.  A separate flood insurance policy would have provided the much-needed coverage to mitigate and reconstruct the home.

It is advisable that all homeowners have an annual insurance policy review and discuss their coverages.   Although SERVPRO can help with any mitigation situation, it is sad when good people have a bad situation in which they are unable to afford the cost to rectify the situation.  In conclusion, it always a wise practice to have both a homeowner’s and a flood policy.  This will assure that SERVPRO will be able to make it "Like it never even happened.”