MISSOULA — When damage comes to houses or vehicles, insurance becomes key to help with costs.
Many homeowners found themselves calling their agents to file a claim after the July 24 storm that hit Missoula.
“Most homeowners insurance coverage do provide coverage for accidental direct physical loss, in this case, wind damage. And so what we've seen is we've seen a lot of, losses where people had trees that were blown over onto structures on the fences on the homes," local State Farm insurance agent Bob King said. "We've also seen that some people just had...the roof that were blown off."
"All policies are not the same, but in most instances, people do have coverage under their policy for wind. And last week was — I've been doing this a long time and I've never seen a storm like that in Missoula, Montana for sure,” King continued.
When it comes to policies, there are different policies and each company has different processes, but it’s always best to call your agent if questions arise.
“Different companies have different processes. But what typically happens if you're a consumer and you had damage from the loss, you want to reach out, you want to notify your agent and then typically your agent will file a claim report for you," King told MTN.
In our situation, we have adjusters coming in that are in the area that follow up with people. will do inspections of their properties and then adjust their claims accordingly based on the damage they had," King noted. "We saw a lot of people that were displaced from their homes because there [were] power outages. We saw a lot of people displaced from their homes because they had trees on their homes and they were uninhabitable."
Before a major event happens, King recommends taking steps to make sure that damage will be minimal and if any damage occurs, make sure that family members are safe before calling your agent.
“So, we just tell everybody, the first thing you want to do is make sure that you're safe, make sure that you do things that help mitigate against future damage to your home," King said. "But the best thing you can do is contact your agent, make sure you get a report filed with your insurance company. Then they'll be in contact with you to evaluate the damage and handle your claim for sure."
Home and auto are not on the same policies, they are often separate policies that have different contracts, but what is covered under each one?
“What's different with an automobile — a lot of people think, well, I had a tree that blew over in my yard or my neighbor's yard and it landed on my car. And is that covered under my homeowner's insurance? Your car is not covered under your homeowner's insurance because it needs to be insured on a separate policy," King explained.
"If you have comprehensive coverage on your vehicle you want to do the same thing, you want to contact your agent. Obviously, if your car is drivable, that's completely different than if you have to get a tree off of the car and then, you know, have it, have it towed," he continued. "In order to have coverage for your, your vehicle, you have to carry physical damage coverage. And in this case, comprehensive coverage is coverage that provides coverage due to a loss from wind."
King has been in insurance for over 30 years, and while working in insuring clients properties he says that this is the biggest wind event that he can recall.
“Prior to being...to being an agent in Missoula — which I've been here for 30 years — I was an auto claims superintendent in Billings, Montana back in the late eighties. I can just tell you in Missoula, this was the biggest wind event that I ever remember having in the last 30 years."
King’s office lost power during the storm, and after getting a generator he told MTN that he had over 200 voicemail messages that he and his team responded to over the weekend.
“It's been extremely busy and we're trying to provide the best customer service we can to our people, give them good guidance until our adjusters get out and are able to handle their claims,” King said.
While deductibles are higher than they have been in the past, they can be helpful when paying for damage.
“The standard homeowner's policy provides you coverage for damage from wind. So the only difference generally between a policy like the policyholder I have would be what their deductible is," King explained. "So people select a deductible and you know — in this day and age, a lot of people, their deductibles are a little higher than they were 15 or 20 years ago."
"So, unfortunately, when you have a loss, you have to meet your deductible and the insurance company is responsible for your damages above your deductible amount, but there's no additional coverage or any additional endorsement you can put on to improve your coverage, "King said.
While the two policies are different, reading and understanding your policy can be just as important as working with your insurance company.
“Your homeowner's policy actually defines what is a covered loss. And on your auto policy, it's a different contract. Physical damage coverage consists of two coverages. It consists of collision coverage," King told MTN.
"So if you're involved in an accident with another car or if someone hits your car while it's parked and unoccupied, that is a collision loss act of an act of God like wind is covered under a comprehensive loss,” King concluded.
