Claiming home insurance a frustrating process for some Windsor flood victims
Over a month has transpired since a heavy rainfall flooded the Windsor region. It was a catastrophic event that prompted a state of emergency to be declared. While the threat of immediate danger has long since passed, unresolved home insurance claims are making it difficult for some of those victims to fully weather the storm.
CBC News spoke with David Norwood, a Tecumseh homeowner who was forced to combat close to eight centimetres of water and sewage that flooded his basement. Norwood didn’t disclose the name of his insurance provider, but he detailed the various challenges he has faced in getting the company to take action. It took a number of days before anyone arrived to help restore the damaged area, and Norwood still has yet to be informed of how much money he will recover.
However, delayed responses are only one part of the problem.
According to the Windsor Star, numerous local families felt betrayed by their insurance companies’ handling of the situation. Instead of receiving enough money to fully or significantly cover the damages, many of them found themselves getting cut off at an unreasonably low amount based on technicalities.
For example, many home insurance providers may not offer the same kind of coverage on flooding in a standard plan if a home is in an area that is at high risk for floods. It’s a stipulation that cost Windsor resident Joe Furlan an estimated $5,000.
What’s equally problematic is that insurance companies’ definition of “flooding” often differs from the average person’s conception of it. To them, it usually refers to overflow from a large body of water. Otherwise they’ll probably just call it water damage.
Insurance technicalities are the last thing anyone wants to have to deal with in the aftermath of a meteorological catastrophe. Make sure to read up flood insurance and other relevant protections to decide what kind of coverage is best for you.