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Originally posted by gunnitt:
Live smack dab in the middle of where Ian hit hardest Cape Coral Lee county, just got power and water back, and now waiting to see how bad the insurance company is going to hit us. Thank God we are alive, but there are so many who lost everything here including their lives

I hope your insurance experience mirrors mine after Charley. They were more than fair. My parents had the same experience.

I don’t understand the deaths. There was plenty of warning, shelters were open, hotel rooms were available, and barring that, you can just get in your car and drive. The WalMart parking lot in Clewiston was packed with RVs and cars the morning after.

In a larger metropolitan area the problem is lack of public transportation for those that did not have cars. I assume most of the residents except maybe the mobile home park had transportation.
The usual reason is that the residents do not think it will be that bad. Those folks are usually the first to leave after another storm threatens. Other than Charley, the West Coast of Florida has been spared the last thirty or so years compared to the Northern Gulf Coast. The Tampa area continues to be fortunate.

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Live smack dab in the middle of where Ian hit hardest Cape Coral Lee county, just got power and water back, and now waiting to see how bad the insurance company is going to hit us

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Residents in South Louisiana were waiting up to four weeks or more for electricity after Ida. Florida spent money on hardening its power grid. You are very lucky in that regard.

About 15 years ago in FL two back-to-back hurricanes snapped the wooden power poles near us like match sticks.

The power company replaced them with steel and concrete poles.

We have not had a problem since.

In our complex, they buried all the utilities.

So far so good.

Sounds like what the residents who have homes in the Sierras and Cascades are going through after all the forest fires over the last 6-9 years. Pretty much anybody living in rural California within a forest, is deemed high-risk from fire. Every year, those companies never renew, thus home owners are forced to search for a new policy.

Water vs. flood damage has been a long-term issue that predates Katrina by many years. I remember my Galveston relatives discussing it back in the 1960’s. My great aunt claimed that she was the only person on the island that had hurricane flood insurance. The ceo of one of the insurance companies lived next door and was a good friend.

I don't have flood insurance because I am not in a flood plain, my housing development has a big lake for drainage, and the surrounding area has a downward slope from my house to the nearest river. I'm sort of on high ground. I have the internal coverage and the sewer backup rider.

The reason most insurance doesn't cover floods is cost. Fire, storm damage, falling trees, etc. are not very common and usually only affect a limited number of homes. Hail storms can cause a bunch of roof replacements in a neighborhood but that's about it.

Floods on the other hand destroy entire towns or counties with near total losses. Huge cost, the risk for which would drive premiums up for everyone.

The only option I know of here for flood insurance is the Federal program.

But really, the whole "storm surge or rising water" thing is really splitting hairs. People living on coasts subject to tropical storms really need policies that cover any storm related damage and the state regulators should ensure that policies sold in such areas have all necessary coverage.

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But really, the whole "storm surge or rising water" thing is really splitting hairs. People living on coasts subject to tropical storms really need policies that cover any storm related damage and the state regulators should ensure that policies sold in such areas have all necessary coverage.

Maybe... but insurance is a contract. It's always been based on "covered perils". Specific "covered perils" are included in the contract, others are excluded. Read the contract.

Imagine the fact that Florida has the second most electric cars in the U.S. That would be a bummer that your house survived the hurricane but the water caused your car to short out and catch fire burning your house down.

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Maybe... but insurance is a contract. It's always been based on "covered perils". Specific "covered perils" are included in the contract, others are excluded. Read the contract.

^^^^^^
Yep. Before you accept a check pay for an independent appraisal, and if your insurance company is not playing fair hire an attorney. Also, bear in mind there is an incentive for the adjuster to settle the claim asap. I personally have been through this five times over the years. All for wind damage, and not surge. It is pretty complicated.

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Originally posted by chellim1:

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But really, the whole "storm surge or rising water" thing is really splitting hairs. People living on coasts subject to tropical storms really need policies that cover any storm related damage and the state regulators should ensure that policies sold in such areas have all necessary coverage.

Maybe... but insurance is a contract. It's always been based on "covered perils". Specific "covered perils" are included in the contract, others are excluded. Read the contract.

Have lived in a Coastal city in South Texas for 40 years.Need to know what you are covered for,you take the risk, you pay the piper. Yes, insurance is costly but if you live where there are risks of tropical storms, then you are responsible.

After every hurricane there is risk of floods.Makes no difference if you are in a flood zone or not.Your choice of coverage, your choice of risks.

Owned my house 53years, water has never risen over curb in all the storms that hit us.I still buy flood insurance.