DALEVILLE, Va. – Thousands of people in our region remain without power following the winter storm. Bedford and Franklin counties were especially hard hit, and it may be Thursday evening before power is fully restored.
Local agency Brent Hershey State Farm Insurance has offices in Daleville and Roanoke. Hershey said clients have been calling since the storm struck earlier this week asking what’s covered under their policies and what’s not. That includes incidents like damage from falling trees or like spoiled food from extended power outages.
Appalachian Power generally does not pay those kinds of claims for outages caused by storms, but insurance policies might. Hershey said it all comes down to the deductible on the policy.
“A lot of times, if it is just food loss, maybe your policy has a restriction that can help you out with that, or maybe that’s part of the big picture policy,” he said. “And so if I just lost $300 or $400 of groceries in my fridge, did I meet my deductible? Maybe not.”
And if you do end up having damage at your home that needs to be repaired, Hershey said it’s a good idea to take a step back and assess the situation before filing a claim.
“You might see something, and it might look extremely severe, but if you get somebody to come to the property and take a look at it and figure out, hey maybe it’s not as severe or the fix is not as expensive as what I’m thinking,” he said. “So definitely don’t take a knee-jerk reaction and automatically call claims, slow down, figure out how much damage is actually there, compare it to your deductible and then make the best decision for your family.”
It is also a good time to review policies in case you want additional coverage ahead of the next storm and also to shore up any potential problem spots around your homes, as Hershey says it is the homeowner’s responsibility to take measures to mitigate further damage.