What homeowners need to know about insurance amid historic floods

THANK YOU SO MUCH, DEREK. WE TURN NOW TO THE AFTERMATH FROM SATURDAY’S FLOODS. RESIDENTS PICKING UP THE PIECES AND NOW CALCULATING THE COST TO REPAIR AND REPLACE THE DAMAGE DONE TO THEIR HOMES. THIS VIDEO JUST SHOWING A GLIMPSE OF WHAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE NOW NAVIGATING. JOINING US NOW, ANGELA MARION OF THE COMMUNITY INSURANCE INFORMATION CENTER, ANGELA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW BUSY YOU ARE RIGHT NOW. I THINK THE FIRST STEP FOR SO MANY PEOPLE LIKE THIS IS SHOCK. THEY’RE GRIEVING THE LOSS OF SO MANY PRIZED POSSESSIONS. BUT AS THEY LOOK AT REPAIRING AND REPLACING, WHAT IS THE FIRST STEP AFTER A DISASTER LIKE THIS? WELL, THE FIRST STEP WOULD BE AS BEING A POLICY OWNER, YOU WOULD WANT TO REVIEW YOUR INSURANCE POLICY OR POLICIES FOR TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT ACCURATE COVERAGE IS NECESSARY AND IN PLACE FOR YOU, AND THAT THE POLICIES ARE ACTIVE AND REVIEWING YOUR POLICIES WILL ALSO HELP YOU WITH KNOWING ABOUT THE COVERAGES AS WELL AS THE OPTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR YOU ALSO. ABSOLUTELY. AND, YOU KNOW, FLOOD INSURANCE, MOST INSURANCE POLICIES DO NOT COVER THIS. AND SO HOW WILL PEOPLE KNOW IF THERE’S IF THERE DOES AND IF IT DOESN’T, WHAT RESOURCES DO THEY HAVE AVAILABLE FOR THEM. WELL YOU WANT TO REACH OUT TO YOUR PROVIDER TO TO SEE WHAT COVERAGES YOU HAVE AVAILABLE FOR YOUR POLICY. AND THEN IF THEY DON’T HAVE COVERAGES, THEN I DO KNOW THAT THE THE STATE HAS DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. SO THERE COULD BE SOME SOME TYPE OF SUPPORT THERE. BUT IF YOU HAVE A POLICY THAT IS ACTIVE, YOU WOULD WANT TO REACH OUT TO THE PROVIDER TO OPEN A CLAIM. THEY ARE THERE FOR YOU AND ARE WILLING TO ASSIST. THERE MAY BE A LITTLE DELAY IN REACHING, BUT BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF CALLS THAT ARE COMING THROUGH. BUT WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER AND WE WILL BE HERE TO ASSIST YOU, TO ASSIST THE CONSUMERS WITH THEIR POLICIES AS WELL. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER. SO MOMENTS AGO, WE ACTUALLY HAD A VIEWER WHO THEY THEY WERE DENIED AN INSURANCE CLAIM. THAT’S WHAT THEY SAY BECAUSE IT WAS CONSIDERED SURFACE FLOODING AS OPPOSED TO A NATURAL DISASTER. WHAT RIGHTS DO HOMEOWNERS HAVE IN CASES LIKE THIS? AND AND ARE THE ARE THOSE SPECIFICS IMPORTANT TO DETERMINE IF THAT THEY IF THEY WILL HAVE HELP? YES. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO MAKE FOR CERTAIN YOU WANT TO CHECK TO SEE IF IT’S LIKE A SEWER DRAIN BACKUP AND SOME POLICIES DO HAVE THAT COVERAGES ON THEIR POLICIES, THE SEWER AND DRAIN BACKUP. AND THEY WOULD HAVE SOME COVERAGE. HOWEVER, THE FLOOD IS GOING TO BE A DIFFERENT SITUATION. SO I DON’T THINK IT’S GOING TO BE CONSIDERED A FLOOD. SO BUT THEREFORE BUT YOU WOULD WANT TO REACH OUT TO YOUR POLICY, TO YOUR PROVIDERS TO MAKE FOR CERTAIN THAT YOU HAVE ADEQUATE COVERAGE AS WELL. AND IN, IN CASES LIKE THIS, SHOULD THEY BE DOCUMENTING EVERYTHING AS QUICKLY AS THEY CAN? OBVIOUSLY, IF IT’S SAFE TO GO DOWN, LET’S SAY, TO THEIR BASEMENT TO GET THESE PHOTOS, DOES THAT MATTER WHEN SUBMITTING A CLAIM? OH, MOST DEFINITELY, MOST DEFINITELY. YOU WANT TO DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO MITIGATE ANY ADDITIONAL DAMAGES. AND THEREFORE, AS THE A LOT OF THE DISASTER PEOPLE WERE SAYING THAT YOU NEED TO BE SAFE AND YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL GOING DOWN IN TO THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF DIFFER HOME SO THAT YOU WON’T CAUSE ANY ADDITIONAL DAMAGES AS WELL. AND SO LET’S JUST SAY THEY’RE WAITING TO GO DOWN THERE BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE DANGEROUS FOR THEM TO TAKE THOSE PHOTOS OR VIDEOS, LET’S SAY, OF THEIR BASEMENT. OUR INSURANCE PROVIDERS ARE THERE. ARE THEY PATIENT TO GET THAT VIDEO AND PHOTOS IN CASES LIKE THIS, WHERE IT MIGHT NOT BE SAFE FOR THEM TO GO DOWN THERE? OH, MOST DEFINITELY. ONE PART WE HAVE TO DO IS WE THEY HAVE TO HAVE THE EVIDENCE TO BE ABLE TO SHOW. AND THERE’S A LOT OF DIFFERENT NEW PROCESSES THAT ARE IN PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THEIR EVIDENCE AND TO BE ABLE TO UPLOAD DIFFERENT IMAGES TO THEIR PROVIDERS. SO THE MAIN THING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY FOLLOW THE PROCESS. THE CLAIMS PROVIDERS WILL WALK THEM THROUGH, AND SO THEY JUST FOLLOW THE PROCESS TO WHAT IS BEING ASKED OF THEM. AND EVERYTHING SHOULD BE OKAY. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE RIGHT NOW WHO IS PICKING UP THE PIECES? AND THEY AND THEY DON’T HAVE FLOOD INSURANCE, OR THEY DON’T HAVE HOME INSURANCE. ARE THERE RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR THOSE PEOPLE? WELL, THERE ARE MAYBE SOME COMMUNITY EFFORTS TO BE ABLE TO HELP. THERE MAY BE SOME STATE FUNDING VIA FEMA TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST THE COMMUNITY, MAYBE CAN COME TOGETHER, BUT IT’S JUST, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO REALLY JUST BE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER AS A AS A UNITY FOR MILWAUKEE IN ORDER TO HELP IT. BECAUSE INSURANCE, YOU KNOW, IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE AND BEING WITHOUT IT IS A FINANCIAL DISASTER. AND THAT’S SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE’RE GOING TO BE FACING, RIGHT? ABSOLUTELY. ANGELA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY. I KNOW YOU ARE BUSY RIGHT NOW WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE SORTING THROUGH THESE QUESTIONS, BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED. THAT IS CORRECT. AND COMMUNITY INSURANCE INFORMATION CENTER IS HERE TO HELP. YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, CONSUMERS, IF THEY HAVE ISSUES OR IF THEY’RE HAVING PROBLEMS, YOU KNOW, WITH THEIR INSURANCE. BUT THE PROVIDERS ARE THERE AND IN SUPPORT. SO WE JUST ASK THAT YOU PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH US AND VICE VERSA. SO WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS AS A COMMUNITY. ABSO