No record of calls?
Kathryn Haber lives in the hamlet of Phoenicia, where water in her basement is a routine occurrence, but this storm knocked down one of her foundation walls. “The ground surrounding it fell into the basement,” she reports. “I was pulling bushes out from under my house.”
When she returned to her home the day after the hurricane, she immediately started calling her insurance company and contractors to deal with the damage. She has the maximum in flood insurance, since she is located in flood zone A/B. Scot Hastie, of Pardee Agency, her Kingston insurance agent, “has been great, really helpful,” she said. “He set up a claim, and I was given the number of an adjuster.”
Because the missing foundation wall put her house in danger of collapsing, Haber called the insurance company for permission to start repairs immediately and was assured by two different people that she didn’t have to wait for the adjuster to come before starting work but should document the state of her house with photos and keep all receipts. Within five days of the flood, her new wall was poured.
With septic leakage and mud in her basement and crawlspace, she got an estimate for cleaning and sanitizing — $5200. When she called the insurance company to make sure it would be covered, she was told that she wouldn’t get reimbursed for the foundation wall because it had gone up without being scrutinized by an insurance company inspector. The company has a record of all her phone calls — except the two in which she received confirmation that she could go ahead with her repairs. Unfortunately, she didn’t get the names of those two people.
“The adjuster has been on my side,” says Haber. “He’s saying that once his report is in, they’ll have to give me the money.” But a month after the flood, she’s had no decision on whether she’ll be reimbursed for the $30,000 in damages.
She did register with FEMA, not because she expected any money from them but because it would help the area qualify for Federal aid.
“The climate is getting worse,” she commented, “and stream management is getting less. I’ve been through four floods, and this is the first time I wondered if I should consider moving.”
Even in Woodstock, where flooding was less acute, residents are struggling with insurance companies. Fred Poole lives on Tinker Street, where the rising water table ruined his furnace. Lacking flood insurance, he applied to FEMA, which first sent him to the Small Business Administration for a loan. “I have savings and good credit, so I couldn’t get a loan,” explains Poole. “Now I’m awaiting a grant. FEMA sent out an inspector, so I should find out soon.”
Ironically, his homeowner’s insurance may cover damage to his roof that occurred during the storm. Water coming from the ground up does not qualify, but as long as it comes from the sky, damage is covered.
