OXFORD, Connecticut — Extreme weather is prompting home and business owners to reassess their insurance policies.
In Connecticut, customers must purchase a separate plan for flood damage, and many storm victims learned the hard way of how critical that coverage is.
“The water came in so fast. There wasn’t anything we could do,” Justin Harding, Boar’s Nest and Oxford Ax Throwing, said. “We tried to protect the building but the water burst through our garage door and now we just have to deal with it.”
For small business owner Justin Harding, it was a race against rushing water to get his customers and crew out when historic rainfall hit parts of Connecticut on Aug. 18.
“It took us around 5 and a half hours to get in here and rescue them and then the roads collapsed on our way out,” he said.
Everyone inside survived, but it is a long road ahead before floodwater is cleared and his bar can reopen. An estimated 60 routes in the area were damaged, according to town officials.
“We’ll be lucky if these roadways are open by Christmas at this point,” Harding said. “We can just do what we can do and get back up and running as fast as we can.”
Like many home and business owners in Western Connecticut, they are discovering the limits of their insurance policy.
“We really don’t have a choice. Insurance isn’t helping. They won’t pay for any of the damages, so we’re on our own,” Harding said.
In Connecticut, customers must sign up for a separate flood plan through a private insurer or the National Flood Insurance Program, which takes 30 days to kick in.
Gerard O’Sullivan, with the Connecticut Insurance Department, discouraged residents to risk going without.
“I think this weekend showed us that even homes not in a flood zone, it does happen. They’re saying this is a 1 in 1000 year storm, but you certainly hear that quite a bit these days,” Gerard O’Sullivan, consumer affairs director, said. “We always recommend to consumers, at least get the information of what flood insurance would cost you and checking that out.”
For those who have skipped flood coverage, home insurance plans might still offer some relief.
“A lot of people had a lot of rain. Anything that is wind-driven rain, or the ground has been so saturated with trees damaging homes, that can be covered under the homeowner’s policy as well,” Sullivan said.
Drivers who sustained vehicle damage should check their auto policy. Most comprehensive plans will provide flood-related coverage.
As for Harding, he is leaning on the community to help get him through. He hopes to raise $50,000 on a GoFundMe page to cover his repair costs and plans to give anything above that to other businesses in need.
“It’s not just us. There are a lot of people who have lost their homes, everything they own, so sure we need some help but we’re doing alright,” Harding said. “There’s people who need it a lot more than we do.”
Those who have experienced flooding and do not have flood insurance can still receive compensation.
Gov. Ned Lamont is preparing to ask FEMA to declare a Major Disaster, which would offer financial support for home and business owners. Residents do need to document their damage with their town’s local emergency management office to be included in that relief, and the state urges them to file those claims as quickly as possible.
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