Last night’s storm and tornadoes devastated many homes and neighborhoods in Connecticut, especially Northern Fairfield County. First, remain as calm as possible, and take care of injuries first. Follow instructions of civil authorities about going outside and travelling on roads. Towns are working hard to clear roads, but as of 5/16 morning, many roads remain impassible.
This information will help you deal with the challenges. Feel free to forward the information, if you think it will help your friends and neighbors. We’re willing to help guide folks, even if they’re not our customers.
As for insurance, claim reporting will be high and it will take time for the insurance companies to respond. There are things you can do before the claim adjuster arrives (more later). Claims should be reported only if there is damage to your car or house or other structures that is significant – requiring repair costs above your deductible. Car deductibles usually are $500, sometimes $1,000 and home deductibles are usually $1,000, but can be $2,500 or more.
Take care of yourself first. Don’t over-work. Many back injuries occur during repair and recovery efforts. Respect your age and capacity to get certain jobs done. There will be neighbors, volunteer organizations willing to help. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Town fire departments and electric company are coming to clear the roads and bring electricity back to your area.
Unfortunately, there will be a lot of yard clean-up and tree limbs down that are not covered by insurance. Most policies have limited tree coverage, and only when the tree hits something like a car, fence or structure, and the tree removal is limited to around $500 cost and only to the tree on the object, not all trees in the area. Despite this, some companies are lenient in their willingness to help and can be more detailed in their search for damage, which can develop an opportunity to recover damages from the storm.
Focus first on your safety and limiting further damage to property. This may mean spreading and tacking down a tarp over open roof damage. Be careful removing trees. Call a tree service for help.
Get a team together of family, friends and neighbors to help remove blocked driveways and with yard cleanup.
As for putting in a claim, if your structure or car is damaged, then assess if the damage repair cost will be sufficiently higher than your deductible. It’s good, but not critical, to take a few photos before removing damage or making repairs. Generally, the need to put in a claim will be obvious. If yes, then retrieve your policy number and call your company claim phone number below and report the claim. The claim rep will ask questions and give you a claim number at the end. You can use the claim number when contacting car repair places or contractors in the case of house damage. I provide a list of emergency house repair specialists below.
If you need to move out of your house for a period of time. Those additional expenses are covered.
I don’t want to make this too long, and want to get the information to you. If you still have questions or need help, please call Tim at 203-770-6505 (cell) or Anne at (203) 770-3136 (cell). Paul and Pete Haas are also available in Glastonbury at 860-430-9734, and they can help.
Insurance Claim Phone Numbers – Many carriers also have online claims reporting thru their websites:
Hanover 800-799-6977
American Strategic 866-274-8765
Travelers 1-800-CLAIM33
Main Street America 877-425-2467
Safeco 800-332-3226
Bunker Hill 888-572-5246
Ohio Mutual 800-895-7725
Utica First 800-456-4556
If yours is not here, please call or email us.
These companies specialize in emergency repair help and restoration services:
ServPro 203-791-0920
Crystal Restoration 800-442-7978
JP Maguire 877-576-2484
Thank you,
Tim & Anne Haas
Haas Insurance
www.haasagency.com
tim@haasagency.com (203) 770-6505 mobile
anne@haasagency.com (203) 770-3136 mobile
(203) 304–9689