Buffalo, NY (WBEN) After flooding and hail in Western New York, in particular Gowanda, homeowners are now going to their insurance policies to see how much help they can get.
AAA"s Dave Kirst says the flooding we've seen this week is coming in through either sewer line backing up or the sump pump failure. "You want to make sure that you do have those proper coverages on your insurance policy. It is usually an additional endorsement may be included in certain packages, but you want to make sure you have that water backup of sewer and drain coverage to make sure you are protected for that flooded basement," says Kirst.
If you have belongings damaged by flooding, Kirst says make a list. "You can always add to it down the road, but it's always best to have that list together of what actually was damaged when you do call up your insurance carrier," recommends Kirst. He adds reach out to your agent ahead of time so they can review the coverages, remind you of what your deductible is, make sure that you do have that coverage and get everything in order prior to calling the insurance carrier to actually start the claims process. He also says dry them out. "A lot of the stuff is going to be damaged by water, so some things may just be unfortunately ruined, though," adds Kirst. "If you do get some water in there, if you don't clean up things right away, you could get some mold growing in that stuff. So you're going to want to try to clean up and dry up as quickly as possible. Get some fans going, get a dehumidifier going. Try to make sure that you don't get the mold starting to grow down in the basement or with with whoever's damaged with that." He adds gets things off the floor by using a pallet to keep it from getting hit directly by water.
If your car was pelted by hail, Kirst says that should be covered. "If you do have damage to your vehicle, by hail or flooding, it's all going to come under your comprehensive coverage on your insurance. That's that same coverage that's going to cover you for if you hit that deer or have that animal strike. It's those things that are out of your control, weather related, animal type things," notes Kirst. S
If you're renting, Kirst says you might be out of luck, even with renters insurance. "Most renters insurance policies, though, typically don't include that water backup coverage. That's going to be something that you have to let your insurance agent know to add on to your coverage. Typically, when you buy a homeowner's insurance policy, almost all of them automatically, kind of include that as part of their package of endorsements that they kind of have on there. It's that typically not included with a renter's policy,, " explains Kirst. He says one good thing with renters insurance is it also covers loss of use. "It's going to help you have a place to stay while you're playing. Place gets fixed or you find a new place, so it doesn't just protect your belongings, it gives you that liability in case anyone ever gets hurt, and also gives you money to go rent out another apartment, stay a few nights in a hotel, make sure that you're covered," adds Kirst.
AAA recommends checking car insurance for hail damage
