Am I covered? SWFL insurance agents weigh in after tornado hits

CAPE CORAL, Fla. – As cleanup efforts continue, many victims of last weekend’s tornado are hoping they can rely on their insurance companies.

Charlotte Sharp said she never expected she would need coverage for tornado damage to her Cape Coral home.

“It’s definitely something you never think about.” said Sharp. “You don’t think you’re going to have a tornado, you don’t think you’re going to have this kind of damage. You see this stuff on TV, and you feel sorry for people you see it happen to, you just never imagine it’s going to be you.”

Most insurance companies in Florida will cover damage from the tornado under “wind damage”, which comes standard with most insurance policies.

Agents with Ted Todd Insurance said most standard policies cover fire, lightning and water damage, among other types of damage under their “all other peril” policies. However, they said homeowners need to be aware of which parts of their home are included in their coverage.

For example, a homeowner’s garage and pool may be covered, while their yard or fence may not. Without full coverage, those amenities may not be fully repaired.

Claims specialist Danette Stiggleman also explained how hurricane coverage is different from tornado coverage in Florida. She says hurricane coverage must be added on to standard policies, and are usually more expensive. Experts say these two things can be easily confused by homeowners.

“Is there a difference between the hurricane and a tornado [coverage]? Yes, the hurricane deductible is quite different. The tornado should be, under most policies,  in the “all other peril” deductible, versus a hurricane deductible which is more severe.”

They tell WINK News some hurricane deductibles can be significantly higher than wind or tornado deductibles.

Senior Agent Carlos Miranda tells WINK News there are certain details within coverage that can also play a factor in how much repairs are done to homes after an event like this.

 

“We have to make sure that the home is insured for for the replacement value,” said Carlos Miranda of Ted Todd Insurance. “We want to make sure that if something happens to the home, the insurance company has enough coverage that it will be rebuilt in the way it is now.”

He recommends replacement coverage over “cash value” coverage, which can include depreciation of certain personal items.

In Cape Coral, many tornado victims are finding that they are being offered partial coverage for damage. Estimates for the length of repairs could keep them out of their homes for weeks and even months.

“I’m just having a hard time comprehending and taking it all in right now. Months is a long time before we can get back in the house,” Sharp said.

Sharp tells WINK News the damage inside her home is still extensive, four days after the tornado hit.

“The whole left side of the house is just wet, and [there’s]ceiling damage, water damage, aside from the roof gone mostly.”

The length of time homeowners will be out of their homes for repairs depends on the extent of damage.

Many victims said insurance companies have begun to assess damage to their homes and get contractors to being making repairs. Sharp said what she wants most now is a sense of normalcy.

“That’s what I’m really hoping: that the insurance company can get us back to a normal life, because, right now there’s nothing normal right now,” she said.