by Erie Insurance on January 22, 2024
Thunder grows louder and becomes more rapid. A green sky. A subtle patter on the roof. The ominous clues that severe weather is on the way.
Once the clouds clear and normal conditions return, ordinary life at home resumes—at least most of the time. But when your home is damaged during severe weather events, forecasting what’s next isn’t so easy.
According to a survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 3.3 million Americans were forced from their homes due to natural disasters in 2022.
With a wide and geographically diverse territory, Erie Insurance covers homeowners who see a variety of these destructive weather events. When homes are damaged—or destroyed—by weather disasters, our customers count on us to help pick up the pieces.
Tornado Terror
Tammy Flowers was still at the office around 6 p.m. on a Friday, a common occurrence for a tax preparer in late March. When she peeked outside, swirling wind and an odd–colored sky made her think of her house in Brighton, Tennessee, and the large pecan and oak trees in the backyard.
She called her husband, Bobby, and convinced him to leave home and come to her office.
“He wasn’t down there 10 or 15 minutes before our neighbor called,” Tammy said. “Our house was gone.”
Their home was leveled by an EF3 tornado that reached winds of more than 150 miles per hour. Only one wall remained, their chicken pen was wiped out and their camper sat in a field across the road.
“To round the corner and see all your stuff scattered and your house gone, I mean, it’s just a hit to the stomach,” she said.
Once the shock subsided, they filed their claim. By the middle of the next week, Quentin Parker, a property claims reinspector, came to survey the considerable damage. Parker is part of ERIE’s extended Catastrophe Response team.
“He was a blessing,” Tammy said. “He came out, walked us through it, showed us what to do, what not to do. I mean, he was awesome.”
What remained of their house was torn down, and by May, they were back on the property, living in a modular home.
Flowers credits Parker and their Agent, Elizabeth Rook,of Rook Insurance, with helping put things back together. One regret she has is not taking a home inventory to make the most of their coverage.
“You don’t think that everything is going to go like that at once,” she said. “We didn’t make a list of all the things we had, and we lost out on some there.”
A Hail Hardship
The small village of Milltown, Wisconsin, doesn’t typically see extreme weather events aside from frigid winters.
But in May 2022, quarter-size hail began falling. Bob and Linda Jones watched from their garage as their home was repeatedly pelted. Although they never had to leave their house, there was significant damage to the roof, siding and shed, as well as their vehicles.
After the Joneses filed a claim, an ERIE adjuster was on scene—and not just for the Joneses.
“I was worried about him getting home for the weekend,” Bob Jones said. “He said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m gonna be here for a long time, you’ve got a lot of damage in the area.’”
The Joneses were able to settle their claim in a timely manner and start repairs ahead of many of their neighbors with other insurance companies.
“It was a real educational process,” he said. “I don’t really know a whole lot about insurance, but when they came out, I learned a lot just from seeing how thorough they were and all the questions they asked.”
Though differing in severity and nature, the destruction endured by both the Flowers and the Joneses are among the most common for property damage. About 1 in 35 insured homes file a claim each year due to wind and hail, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
When Lightning Strikes
Home claims due to fire and lightning are far rarer, only afflicting about 1 in 385 insured homes. But when they do occur, the damage is often severe; the average loss of $77,340 is the most among all natural disasters.
Unfortunately for a West Virginia family, such a lightning strike became a reality on August 24, 2020.
Bill and Heather* were starting their day at around 6 a.m. when lightning struck a copper vent pipe on their roof. The home’s second floor quickly caught fire, and within two hours, they were without a home.
The family was delighted with the way ERIE responded.
“There was the sense that, despite the disaster, I had immediate help and support,” Bill said.
Bill placed a call to his Agent, Mike Cvechko, of Cvechko Insurance, who helped the family throughout the entire claims process. They moved into a temporary living space, with ERIE covering costs to begin replacing clothing and food lost in the fire.
They also benefited from having ERIE’s Guaranteed Replacement Cost coverage. It’s a loss settlement option that covers the full amount required to rebuild a house back to its previous state and specifications, regardless of rising costs in labor or materials.**
“Even during the time of COVID-19, when the costs and availability of materials provided challenges, I never felt pressured or like I had to fight my insurance company to follow through,” Bill said.
Claims Service
Superior property claims service from ERIE isn’t a rare occurrence, nor does it happen by accident, according to Cody Cook, senior vice president of Claims.
“When we’re involved in a claim, it’s often one of our Customer’s worst days,” he said. “We’re grateful for our highly trained, empathetic adjusters who bring our Customers back to pre-loss condition—as well as for our Agents who sell the right coverages to fit our shared Customers’ needs.”
And it’s not just ERIE saying this.
A 2023 J.D. Power study ranked ERIE number one in customer satisfaction for home insurance claims.
What makes ERIE’s Claims employees so good? For starters, they’re caring and knowledgeable, having come from a variety of backgrounds.
Because when there’s a natural disaster—or other covered mishap—ERIE’s Claims professionals are often first to respond. And no effort is too great to make things right again for ERIE Customers.
Check out the disaster safety page on our website to learn more about what you can do to protect your loved ones and your belongings from disaster. Then contact your Agent to make sure you have the right homeowners insurance in place.
* Last name removed.
** Guaranteed Replacement Cost applies to dwelling and requires home improvements over $5,000 to be reported within 90 days—not available with all policies and in all states. Coverage of costs to comply with laws or ordinances is subject to limits. Depreciation will be deducted until repair or replacement is made. Talk to an ERIE Agent for more information.
Source: https://www.erieinsurance.com/blog/weather-bad-weather-with-erie