After Sunday night’s storms, insurance experts warn Coastal Bend homeowners to document damage carefully and not make repairs before filing claims.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — After Sunday night’s severe storms, insurance experts say documenting damage and filing under the correct policy can save homeowners time and money.
Residents across the Coastal Bend spent Monday cleaning up after a line of severe storms brought hurricane-force wind gusts to the area Sunday night.
For some homeowners, the damage was minor. For others, the cleanup — and insurance process — may only be beginning.
RELATED: Severe thunderstorm leaves damage, widespread outages across Coastal Bend
In Flour Bluff, 14-year resident Linda White said she feels fortunate after lightning split a dying tree on her property in half.
“Normally my car is parked out here where these trees are, and I had moved it to behind my building because I had surgery a couple of weeks ago,” White said. “He protected my car, he protected my body. It’s just a miracle.”
Insurance experts say homeowners who suffered storm damage should avoid making permanent repairs before documenting everything for a claim.
Stephanie Waterman, a local Farmers Insurance agent, said homeowners should take photos immediately and avoid altering damaged areas beyond emergency measures like tarping a roof.
Waterman said one of the most important — and commonly overlooked — coverages in the Coastal Bend is wind-driven rain coverage.
“The wind can actually lift the shingle, drive the water underneath the shingle into the ceiling and down and gets the insides of your home wet and it may not do any damage to your roof itself,” Waterman, who’s worked in the insurance industry for 39 years, said. “Without this rider, there is not a storm-created opening, so there would be no coverage.”
She also urged homeowners to check their windstorm deductibles before filing claims.
According to Waterman, most local homeowners carry deductibles equal to about 2% of their home’s replacement cost.
“The most important thing is you learn what your windstorm deductible is, and get bids to find out what it’s going to cost to get your fence fixed, tree limbs cleared and other damage repaired,” she said.
Another common mistake, Waterman said, is filing under the wrong policy.
“You have to wait and get a denial letter, and then you realize it was the wrong policy you filed under,” Waterman said. “So it’s taking longer to get your claims solved.”
Waterman added that the busiest period for wind-related insurance claims in South Texas is typically from January through the end of spring — not during hurricane season.