TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The first thing you need to do when impacted by a storm is call your insurance company, but many in the Tampa Bay area are finding out they don’t have the right coverage.
Ruben Delgado is an investigator with Heritage Insurance, based in Tampa. He said his company is swamped with calls from anxious customers.
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“There’s a lot of water in these storms,” Delgado said. “You don’t necessarily have to live in a flood zone to experience flood waters. Any water coming into your house from the ground, that’s considered flood. The homeowner’s policy will not cover flood.”
Your homeowner’s policy would cover damage by wind from storms. You need a separate flood insurance policy to cover the flood damage Debby brought.
Laurel Meadows residents begin clean up after floodwater recedes
Delgado warns to not sign anything from any contractor without going through your insurance company.
“Some other people who try to get involved in the process or try to show up to your house and say, ‘I’m gonna inspect your roof for free,’ and they come down and say you a have leak, and we’re going to look at your bathrooms because they are probably leaking,” he said. “And then before you know it, they’re tearing out bathrooms. They’re doing a lot of things to your house, and you have no idea what’s going on.”