Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The high winds have settled down, and the damages are starting to be assessed.
Sunday's wind storm brought 74 mph wind gusts to the region. Damages range from torn roof shingles and siding to uprooted trees that landed on houses or vehicles.
Q: What happens if a tree goes through a house?
It certainly will be covered under the homeowners policy. But Papa says there will be a question about the degree of damage inside and outside. Sometimes insurance companies only want to pay for certain areas directly damaged, and not for the overall matching of roofing and shingles over a larger area.
Q: What if a tree lands on your car?
That is covered under your auto policy for the damage to the car. The cost to remove the tree off a pool, house, fence or driveway would be covered under homeowners. And Papa says most policies will afford at least an additional $500 to remove the tree off the insured premises.
Q: What if your neighbor's tree lands on your property and causes damage?
Papa says wind is considered an Act of God, so there's normally not negligence in that regard. However, if the neighbor had prior knowledge that the tree was a nuisance or should have been trimmed or removed, that may be covered under the neighbor's liability policy. Papa recommends that clients make the claim under their own policy and if the insurance company thinks that they can subrogate against the neighbor's policy, they will do that.
Papa thinks this week's storm was relatively minor compared to previous storms. "Nothing compares to the November storm of 2014 when we were getting calls of building collapses from the weight of heavy snow all over the area."