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Well, it's been a while since I've managed to write anything, even on the Whateley site - because we got a bit flooded. As in water in the house. We had co-workers swarm in to get carpet and drywall out - now it's sorting lots of stuff to see what's ruined and what can possibly be saved. I haven't looked at national news in over a week - and it seems like it's been a month! And I haven't felt like writing in over a week, even though I have 2 really interesting stories bopping about in my brain.
We stayed safe - didn't evacuate because we had supplies and were fully prepared, but living in a gutted house strewn with debris and ruined stuff is slowly getting depressing. I figure it'll be Thanksgiving (at the earliest) when life returns to something semi-normal. All in all, we got off lucky - we have flood insurance. 85% of the people who were flooded by Harvey don't. We only got a few inches (enough to ruin stuff) - others were completely submerged.
Oh, and to add to the fun, I had my rotator cuff repaired surgically 7 weeks ago, so I can't do any lifting or helping. I hate the feeling of being helpless, and yet here we are, relying on the kindness of co-workers and some strangers.
Comments
Hugs
I'm glad you made it out of the turmoil in 1 piece. ^^
Looking forward to the mad scribblings of your mind when your Real Life is sorted out.
And let us know if you need anything.
Sephrena
I'm glad you did not suffer worse
Hang in there!
Glad you're safe at least
I also live in the Houston area but fortunately was not flooded. Best wishes to you. Hope the insurance pays off. We were struck by lightning 6 years ago and had a lot of damage in the house. Fortunately insurance was really helpful.
Sorry
Sorry to hear that. It sounds miserable, even if it wasn't the worst of things.
-- Daphne Xu
I'm just north of downtown,
I'm just north of downtown, in one of the few neighborhoods that _didn't_ flood (well designed, and house is 3 feet above street level). Drop me a PM if you need computer assistance. I'm providing machines to several customers who have had setbacks. (one had office flooded with 5 feet of water, and the insurance company is telling them that they didn't have flood insurance - and they were pretty sure they _did_)
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Insurance Department
If they believe they had insurance for flood and are being told they didn't -- it could be a simple clerical error, or worse.
The first place to start is with a call to the insurance department. http://www.tdi.texas.gov/
There are unscrupulous agents who will "sell" you insurance and actually put the premium you paid to them in their own pocket.
If you can prove that you paid for flood insurance, the law will back your rights. I've seen many instances over the years where agents have absconded the premiums and subsequently the courts pick "the logical carrier" who is forced to provide the coverage that was "purchased".
This doesn't happen all that often, but I would estimate that two to five percent of insurance agents have done this during their careers. Often, when it occurs it is a serial crime involving hundreds of fraudulent acts.
With computers these agents are able to create fairly legitimate-looking documents (binders) that would fool almost anyone. Unfortunately, I've caught agents doing this, turned them into the state, and the state has done nothing to prosecute.
Flood insurance is usually a stand-alone policy . . . not part of a standard homeowners policy. Almost all flood insurance is reinsured by the federal government even though it is written on a well known insurance company's paper. You might recall Travelers being called out after Sandy for shoddy claims handling practices. It was really government inefficiencies that created the problem.
Good luck to your customers. People like you, who are practicing compassion, make these catastrophes bearable.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Hopefully there are no objections for Houston getting fed help
After Sandy, Texas Senators debated the merits of those folks getting aid, saying it is not their problem and that the region was rich enough to take care of their own costs.