Insurance tips for residents following storm
By Rebecca Turco
PROVIDENCE – As homeowners across Southern New England are now left to clean up the destruction left by Tuesday morning's fast-moving storm, many are wondering how much help they can get from insurance.
As Philip Slocum of Slocum Insurance Agency in Warwick explained, homeowner's insurance is all case by case, and some companies cover more than others.
If something like a tree or power line crashes into your house though, he said that would likely be covered in Rhode Island. "The second it touches the house, that's what triggers the coverage," he explained.
Homeowners like Karen Castro of Cranston are in limbo as they wait to hear from their insurance providers. A large tree toppled onto her house during the storm and lifted a large portion of her front lawn clear off of the ground.
It's likely, according to Slocum, that her lawn damage won't fall under her insurance – but not impossible. "The land itself is not a specific, insured structure," Slocum explained.
Castro is crossing her fingers for the extra help. Tree removal alone is costing her several thousand dollars. "There really is a lot of extensive damage," she said.
The best thing homeowners can do, according to Slocum, is report the damage as soon as possible and document everything. "Be very careful not to throw anything away so that you have the evidence for the insurance adjusters as to what was damaged," he said.
As for Castro, her insurance company is coming by over the weekend to evaluate everything. In the meantime, she's just glad that tree only hit part of her house.
© WLNE-TV 2015
