Parts of North Texas sustained major damage and devastation caused by the tornadoes and serious storms that moved through the area during the first week of April. The tornado and hail damage has caused thousands of Texas homeowner claims to be filed with insurance companies.
According to the Austin-based Southwestern Insurance Information Service, $300 million in claims have been filed, and total claims are predicted to top $500 million in insured losses. This company indicated that over 1,000 homes were damaged and more than 350 homes were destroyed from the tornadoes that tore through the Dallas-Fort Worth area on April 3rd.
The damages from these claims do not even include business and commercial losses, which did occur during the tornadoes. Additionally, these numbers do not include damages from other states, such as Oklahoma and Kansas, where homeowners have also been filing millions of dollars in claims.
Insured losses topped over $26 billion last year from tornado damage alone, leaving many people to wonder if this year will be worse than last year.
How Do These Numbers Affect Individual Homeowners?
When insurance companies have been hit hard with millions of dollars in insured losses, they are looking for ways to minimize their payouts to each individual customer. Whether a homeowner has lost a fence and shingles off the roof, or the siding and windows were damaged in the tornado, that homeowner will need to be his own advocate.
Sometimes insurance companies will only offer to fund repairs for some of the damage. When you know that the storm damaged the siding of the home, broke several windows, damaged the roof and tore apart your fence, you expect to be compensated for all the damage – not just some of the damage. However, insurance companies may only offer to fund repairs for part of the damage.
Although many homeowners believe their insurance companies are there for them and agents even show remorse for their situation, homeowners need to remember that they represent dollar signs to the insurance company.
Insurance companies do not want to spend more money than they have to. This is why it is important for homeowners who have filed or will be filing Texas hail claims and tornado claims talk with a skilled insurance claim attorney to find out all their rights and what their insurance policy entitles them to.
You can reach an experienced Texas insurance claim lawyer at the Voss Law Firm for more information about your property damage claim. Call today at 888-614-7730 for a free consultation, and also request your free copy of our book: Disputes With Your Insurance Company – What All Consumers Need to Know.
