Flood Insurance Question

[jc61]

Hello All,

Longtime lurker, first time poster...Reason I'm posting now is to see if anyone has any experience with insurance claims due to floods.

I'm currently renting a place in South Carolina that was impacted by the recent floods. Fortunately, no water came in the house, but our yard and shop building were flooded with about 2 ft of water.

We do have renters insurance, and I've contacted my company (USAA) to initiate a claim. I'm currently assessing what all has been damaged and needs to be captured on the claim. I just wanted to touch base and see if anyone had any relevant experience like this.

Specifically, I'm wondering if there's any kind of "rule of thumb" on where one draws the line on what to include in a claim...Is it limited to items that are no longer functional, or is anything that was impacted by the flood water fair game?

Additional Examples:
-Dewalt 18v tools: Had some items that were submerged...I dried them out & they seem to work, but I wonder about the future longevity...I don't want to say it's "okay" now and then have it conk out on me next month..

-Tool boxes: Still functional, but I'm sure being underwater isn't good for casters, drawer slides, etc...Is this fair game or not?


Anyway, would appreciate any relevant info or experience anyone has.
Thanks

JC

 

[BillK]

jc,
Not sure about renters insurance, but typically homeowners does not cover flood damage unless you have something extra in the policy that covers it. You need to have actual flood insurance to cover damage from flowing water.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I can tell you firsthand that if flood insurance was purchased, you need to inventory and include EVERYTHING impacted, as it could add up to a total claim payout, versus an item by item payout. In NC, a manufactured home automatically has a flood rider included in the policy unless things have recently changed in this respect. Regular homeowners, not so. My workshop went under 5 feet of water, and through diligence in drying things out, I ultimately lost very little overall. Motors with bushings did worse than motors with bearings. All my flooded power tools are still in use, but the water that got me came from a burst dam, and was relatively clean. I am still restoring machinery after 16 years. One major piece left to do related to the flood.
See my adventure here.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50169

 

[jc61]

Bill,

You're right...In our case, I think we're okay. When I spoke with my insurance company yesterday, they said they would cover it...we'll see how it works out.

JC

 

[jc61]

Thanks RJ...Looks like you have had quite the adventure..Thankfully I don't think my situation is as bad as yours was.

Non-related side note: My wife is from Tabor City, NC...her family often talks about the impacts of Floyd...apparently its the reason they don't have pine trees in their yard anymore.

 

[72Anthony]

Document everything with photos and or video. I believe FEMA has a guide or checklist for actions to take after a flood

 

[James-W]

It may depend on your insurance company, but I am quite certain a least some of them cover flooding when the sewer backs up. Many years ago a friend of mine had that happen and his insurance company covered the cost of cleaning up his basement and replacing anything that was damaged.

 

[weadjust]

USAA includes some coverage in their renters insurance policy that other insurance companies charge you extra for, such as losses from flood, coverage for items lost in transit or property in storage, and replacement cost coverage on your personal property is included on most of their renters insurance contracts*

*Read your policy. Policies and coverages can change depending upon the State.

 

[Chaznsc]

There's actually flood insurance for renters. I bet a flood other than your upstairs neighbor dropping their 55 gallon fish tank on the floor isn't going to get covered.

 

[jimindm]

I am not sure about rental properties, but the only place that sells flood insurance is the federal government. It is sold by them, is underwritten by them, and they will pay the claims.

Every property has the ability to purchase flood protection insurance. When I looked into it a few years ago, you could go to a website, punch in your address, and it told you exactly how much it was. I think you had to insert a dollar figure also. I would bet if FEMA is not the place, there would be a link from their website.

Every property has the potential of flooding, so every property has the ability to buy it. When I looked into it a flood event was a two similar loses, in a close proximity of each other.

Easy if a river floods and drowns out a neighborhood. Not so easy if you house is at the end of a cul de sac, and all of the water runs down the street towards your house. I would bet that if you are in NC and have actual flood insurance you should be covered.

 

[rsanter]

You need to ask the insurance. It to me it is all fair game.
Keep in mind that just because it was impacted does not mean you get a new one.
I belive they have the right to recondition some stuff and you may even get a partial payment for depreciation damage
Ask your agent what the policy says and what the rules are

Bob

 

[pmiranda]

Good luck with USAA. They totaled my car a couple weeks ago and they're still dragging their feet on actually paying.

 

[ScottsGT]

JC, where abouts are you? I live in NE Columbia and got by with nothing more than a gutter leaking water onto my screened in back porch. Finally made it back downtown to work today.
I was going to say you are probably good with USAA renters. My son has it and he said that flood coverage was part of their renters policy. But I see you have it covered. Hope all is OK still with the dams giving way everywhere? Co-worker lost his home.

 

[pcmeiners]

Federal government does NOT sell flood insurance; on the FEMA sites is a long list of insurance companies which provide flood insurance.
FEMA regulates it, screws it up, could not manage a cool aid stand with a military division, makes it prohibitively expensive, allow small payouts, drive you nut with paper and phone calls, flying around in black copters, make a lot of promises, hand out a lot of bottled water/k-rations, devalues your property, throws away tax payers money like (flood) water,and sleeps with the insurance companies .

List...
http://www.fema.gov/wyo_company

As far as a flood insurance claim....My neighborhood was under 8 ft water, flood insurance claims varied, most flood insured good screwed. Most got heating/cooling systems replaced, washer/drier/freezer/electric replaced. From what I heard you were lucky if your contents were covered. Repair reimbursement varied, then again in NYC, the state jumped in along with the charities, sometimes providing far more then flood insurance. Over all, I believe most got screwed with flood insurance in NYC.

Amazingly some of the charities (churches mainly, NOT the Red Cross) rebuilt peoples homes on the charities dime. I did not ask for help, but many did, they really stepped up to the plate. They were helping people within a couple days, FEMA and the RedCross show up a week later . The Feds should just give charities money, it would cost 10x less cost in emergencies. As to the Red Cross, I would not give them a dime, useless; 10 days after the hurricane, they managed to get a coffee urn going.

"but I am quite certain a least some of them cover flooding when the sewer backs up."
Yes most do, during Sandy sewers did backup, and there were many claims paid.

 

[ford33]

If not covered by "flood insurance" consider the water damage as caused by a leak. Leaks are covered by insurance.

There is legal precedent:

In April 1992 the Chicago river broke through an underground tunnel in Chicago's downtown financial district when workers installed a new bridge pier piling next to this underwater tunnel. The city did not notify the workers of the underwater tunnel. The piling work caused the tunnel wall to fail and 250 million gallons of water came rushing into the tunnel system. Water flooded many of the basements and lower parking areas of nearby high-rise buildings. Up to 40 foot deep water with fish swimming merrily in the basements of buildings were discovered.

It took three days to stop the water flow and months to clean it all up. Nearly $2B of losses were incurred.

Building owners discovered they did not have "flood" insurance. Lawyers for the building owners argued this was not a flood but a big "leak". Leaks were covered by insurance. Building owners won the case in court and damage caused by the "Great Chicago Leak" was settled by insurance companies.

 

[buddyboy]

private insurers only sell flood insurance. it's government insurance, the rates are set by the government. so the price is the same no matter what company you buy flood insurance from.

it's called the national flood insurance program or NFIP

go to floodsmart.gov

you can put in your address and some other information and it will give you an estimate along with the names and phone numbers of agents or companies that you can call to have them buy you the government flood insurance

 

[greenlizard]

I have USAA on cars, home, and through some USAA arrangement with Progressive, on motorcycles and boats. USAA has treated me very well. After four years of driving, my daughter's car now has new paint everywhere but the roof. Gotta love the accident forgiveness option.

On the recent unpleasantness here in SC we in Chapin fared well. Part of my garage floor was wet but I expected that and had everything off the floor. Our dock is underwater but not damaged, and our well is fine. People down the road are on the Chapin water system and are having to boil their water. Chapin buys their water from Columbia and that system is a mess.
Some areas in SC now resemble the big river floods in the mid-west a couple of years ago or even the New Orleans floods in 2005. I measured twelve inches of rainfall from Friday evening to Sunday evening, and twenty inches for the seven day period ending Sunday.

 

[jc61]

Thanks all for the info so far...I think I've finally got most everything laid out and drying right now...Fortunately we've got clear skies until Saturday...We'll see how the insurance angle plays out

ScottsGT- I'm a little east of Sumter...It was pretty dicey on Sunday afternoon; water came halfway up our porch steps...Things are starting to get back to normal.The major roads I've been on are pretty clear..Really surreal seeing normal traffic in areas that were underwater....could have been a lot worse....Hate it for the folks in Columbia that were impacted by the dam failures...Good to hear things weren't too bad in NE Columbia.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Thanks all for the info so far...I think I've finally got most everything laid out and drying right now...Fortunately we've got clear skies until Saturday...We'll see how the insurance angle plays out

ScottsGT- I'm a little east of Sumter...It was pretty dicey on Sunday afternoon; water came halfway up our porch steps...Things are starting to get back to normal.The major roads I've been on are pretty clear..Really surreal seeing normal traffic in areas that were underwater....could have been a lot worse....Hate it for the folks in Columbia that were impacted by the dam failures...Good to hear things weren't too bad in NE Columbia.

If you have crawl space HVAC ductwork, you need to replace or clean it. Mold will develop, and your family will be breathing it in. A heating/ cooling system can sometimes be sanitized and restarted after a thorough electrical/safety device checkout/testing. Relatively clean water does not do as much damage to mechanical items as much as people think. I had a 35" TV floating face down in my living room. A few weeks of drying out, a compressed air blowout, and it was used for 15 more years. Still working for the fellow I donated it to.

 

[pcmeiners]

Sandy was all salt water, I only lost motors which I could not rinse in fresh water and dry out quickly, fresh water is much more forgiving. Motors/ gas engines dry them out quickly, best to disassemble for drying. If you have power, hair dryer or shop vac good for drying, as is using an oven at 212 degrees; left motors in ovens at 212-225 for 2 days at a time . Would say oven is best for anything with bearing. I replace all bearings, but only due to the salt water

Mold should be a non issue if you can get everything dry within 10 days,( if it remain cool for those days). With Sandy I believe the mold started day 12 or 13, in basements full of water