Re: Rain causes trouble for homeowners

[Guest guest]

In this article it says that State Farm does cover wind driven water

damage. Please, take note of your renewals from your insurance

companies. We checked out ours, which previously did cover wind

driven water damage, now it covers NO WATER DAMAGE AT ALL, no matter

what the cause is. They also state they cover no bacteria, mold,

mildew, etc., nor any health related damages.

Just a thought,

Sharon

--- In , " tigerpaw2c " <tigerpaw2c@...>

wrote:

>

> Rain causes trouble for homeowners

> Benton County Daily Record - Bentonville,AR*

> By Brunk Staff Writer n jamieb@...

> Sunday, May 11, 2008

>

> http://nwanews.com/bcdr/News/61668/

>

> NORTHWEST ARKANSAS - Benton County residents may have felt like

> building an ark lately - considering the more than a dozen inches

of

> rain that has soaked the area the last two months.

>

> The rainfall poses more problems than just blocked roads and

> canceled outdoor activities - it can damage homes and in turn

cause

> severe health problems. The frequent flashflooding episodes in

> recent months have caused many residents to discover they have a

> water-intrusion problem. A water-intrusion problem, if not

properly

> abated, almost always turns into a mold problem. Mold not only

> lowers a home's value but can cause serious health issues.

>

> " When you have water intrusion in a building, that scenario can

> (provide ) an environment to amplify the growing of mold, " said

> , a scientist with EGIS, a local environmental

> consulting company. " Mold can really take off and start growing. "

>

> When Kerr of Bentonville found water in his basement after a

> major rainfall in March, he knew he needed to get the problem

solved

> right away. He had standing water, a couple of inches worth, that

> had seeped in between the wall and the slab.

>

> " You can't keep up with it; you have to call a professional to

help

> you with it, " he said. " As soon as you see the water, you need to

> call a water restoration company. The concern is that (the

> moisture ) will get into the sheet rock and mold. "

>

> Kerr called NWA Restore It of Bentonville, owned by Kerry Tyler.

> Tyler said his company is usually pretty busy, but it's been

> especially hectic this spring because of heavy rainfall. He

compared

> the recent rain problems to several years ago around Independence

> Day when more than half a dozen inches of rain fell.

>

> " We've had people affected this time who weren't affected then, "

he

> said.

>

> The increase in affected buildings is because the ground hasn't

been

> given a chance to dry out between large rainstorms, thus not

giving

> the newly fallen rain anywhere to go.

>

> Most of the problems have involved small amounts of water, except

> for homes that are close to the Beaver Lake Dam and the White

River,

> Tyler said. He said many of the problems are in residential areas,

> and it seems like many are in newer homes.

>

> Another place where there's been many reported problems is Lowell.

> Jeff , owner of Northwest Restoration Inc. in Springdale,

said

> one of his customers had a garage door broken down by a rush of

> rainwater. The water then infiltrated the house.

>

> There have been problems throughout northwest Arkansas, however.

>

> said companies such as his have equipment to determine

whether

> a wall contains moisture that wouldn't be visible to the human

eye.

>

> Determining if mold has been allowed to develop can be done in

> several ways.

>

> " Look for stains or musty, damp smells, " said Tom Bramlett, owner

of

> A-Z Inspections in Fayetteville. One of the company's services is

> mold abatement.

>

> When customers believe they have a mold problem, Bramlett's

company

> will perform a visual exam as well as test the air quality. Mold

is

> constantly in our environment, but if the number of mold spores in

> the area is higher inside than outside, there is a mold problem.

>

> " Mold can affect the salability of a home, " he said. " If we can

> document that they had the problem properly taken care of, it

takes

> care of that fear factor. "

>

> Many times homeowners are referred to a water-restoration or mold-

> abatement company by their insurance companies. son,

> State Farm Insurance representative, said the first four months of

> 2008 have been very busy with storms, which means there has been a

> large number of claims in northwest Arkansas.

>

> " Overall, State Farm, the largest insurer of homes in Arkansas,

has

> seen millions of dollars in storm claims as a result of hail, wind

> and tornado claims. Some of those claims involve water damage as

> well, " he said via an e-mail. " For homeowners policies, there is

> coverage for water damage that is wind-driven from above - such as

> damage from a hole in the roof, missing shingles, or window or

wall

> damage.

>

> " Homeowners policies, however, do not cover rising ground water or

> flood damage, " son said. " Protection for flood water is

> provided through the federal government as a separate flood

policy. "

>

> son said homeowners need to be aware of what is covered by

> their insurance policies before a disaster occurs, as well as have

a

> disaster plan established to keep their family members safe in a

> storm.

>