“Insurance claims expected to rise as people discover leaking pipes” |
| Insurance claims expected to rise as people discover leaking pipes Posted: 04 Feb 2011 05:20 PM PST By Shonda Novak AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF The subfreezing temperatures that brought broken pipes to many homes are now bringing insurance claims. "The claims are pouring in right now for the entire state, for every insurance company," Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas, said Friday. By midafternoon, insurance companies had received 5,000 weather-related claims from this week's storm that ravaged the state. That number "could easily double in the next 24 hours," Hanna said. Some of the claims are from winds that battered the Hill Country, but most of the new ones are the result of water leaks, he said. State Farm Insurance said the storm resulted in 1,128 property claims, but not a significant number of auto claims, spokesman Ryan Gauna said. He said the company received a large number of wind-related claims and is seeing "a big spike" in claims for frozen or burst pipes. Allstate Insurance Co., which insures about 1 million households in Texas, has brought in extra resources to handle claims, spokesman Joseph McCormick said. "We anticipate that Monday will be our Super Bowl in terms of handling calls about claims," he said. Hanna said homeowners should attempt to determine the source of any leaks and then try to minimize the damage. In some cases, "they can repair the problem for probably less than what their deductible might cost." If the leak can't be stopped by turning off the water sources, residents should shut off the main water line. Homeowners who have substantial damage should contact their insurance company, Hanna said. snovak@statesman.com; 445-3856 Where to call Allstate Insurance Co.: 1-800-54-STORM or their agent, or . online at www.allstate.com State Farm Insurance: 1-800-SFCLAIM, or call their agent. Online, go to www.statefarm.com/insurance/claim_center/homeowner/homeowner.asp This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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