August 6, 2020 - Golf ball-sized hail and heavy rain pummeled the southside of Colorado Springs and Fort Carson Wednesday evening with preliminary reports of damage to homes, cars and businesses.
"The insurance industry is still assessing the extent of damage resulting from yesterday's storm," says Carole Walker, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Association. "Residents with damage likely have additional questions about the insurance claims process with COVID-19 challenges, but insurance companies have safety precaution protocols in place that will help ensure customer claims service while maintaining proper health and social distancing guidelines."
Start by contacting your insurance agent or company representative immediately to report damage resulting from the storm. Agents or company claims representatives will be able to advise you on how to utilize online claim filing resources, allow for virtual inspection/video conferencing options, and if in person or drive-up claims inspections are necessary follow all CDC health guidelines and Colorado's mask, limiting number of people gathered requirements.
RMIA recommends you document damage to provide to your carriers and do temporary repairs to prevent further storm damage. Hold on to repair receipts as they are likely reimbursable if you file a claim.
Hail, wind, fire or flood damage to vehicles is covered if you carry comprehensive insurance on your auto policy.
Homeowners insurance covers damage from hail, fire and wind. Property damage resulting from rising water is covered by a separate flood insurance policy.
Selecting a Reputable Contractor & COVID-19 Scam Concerns:
"Past trends during economic downturns have shown us that fraud and property crimes rise when financial hardship is highest-taking advantage of our fear and our most vulnerable senior populations by perpetrating disaster fraud," said Carole Walker, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Association. "We see it after every storm here in Colorado, where unscrupulous contractors go door-to-door to try to get victims to let them repair their roofs or other hail damage. With the arrival of COVID-19 we could see new twists on traditional scams that prey on property owners using high-pressure sales tactics from fraudulent contractors."
These fraudsters will often make false promises, insist on full payment upfront before work is completed, and sometimes even create damage where none occurred.
For more consumer information on insurance topics, logon to www.rmiia.org.
