<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en" xml:lang="en">
<head profile="http://gmpg.org/xfn/11">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
<title>Insurance Won&#8217;t Cover Damage To 80% Of Homes Flooded By Hurricane Harvey – Consumerist</title>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /><meta name="google" content="notranslate" />		<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
		<meta name="twitter:title" content="Insurance Won&#8217;t Cover Damage To 80% Of Homes Flooded By Hurricane&nbsp;Harvey">
		<meta name="twitter:site" content="https://consumerist.com/2017/08/29/insurance-wont-cover-damage-to-80-of-homes-flooded-by-hurricane-harvey/">
		<meta name="twitter:creator" content="@consumerist">
		<meta name="twitter:description" content="When the flood waters left behind by Hurricane Harvey eventually recede, they will leave behind billions of dollars in property damage. However, a large majority of homeowners will likely have&hellip;">
		<meta name="twitter:image:src" content="https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/door.jpg?w=1060">
	<script type="text/javascript">
  WebFontConfig = {"typekit":{"id":"xxc6fdm"}};
  (function() {
    var wf = document.createElement('script');
    wf.src = 'https://s1.wp.com/wp-content/plugins/custom-fonts/js/webfont.js';
    wf.type = 'text/javascript';
    wf.async = 'true';
    var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
    s.parentNode.insertBefore(wf, s);
	})();
</script><style id="jetpack-custom-fonts-css"></style>
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="9LN2ANQdloei4Y0cgQLG83NVGd5Dd2eDPH2g0s2Gal8" />
<meta name="msvalidate.01" content="E2E5B3AF87A11A875597CF4E8B412F6E" />
		<script src='https://r-login.wordpress.com/remote-login.php?action=js&amp;host=consumerist.com&amp;id=40783744&amp;t=1518691162&amp;back=https%3A%2F%2Fconsumerist.com%2F2017%2F08%2F29%2Finsurance-wont-cover-damage-to-80-of-homes-flooded-by-hurricane-harvey%2F%3Futm_content%3D59644042%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter' type="text/javascript"></script>
		<script type="text/javascript">
		/* <![CDATA[ */
			if ( 'function' === typeof WPRemoteLogin ) {
				document.cookie = "wordpress_test_cookie=test; path=/";
				if ( document.cookie.match( /(;|^)\s*wordpress_test_cookie\=/ ) ) {
					WPRemoteLogin();
				}
			}
		/* ]]> */
		</script>
		<link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s2.wp.com' />
<link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s0.wp.com' />
<link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//use.typekit.net' />
<link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s1.wp.com' />
<link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//consumermediallc.wordpress.com' />
<link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//netdna.bootstrapcdn.com' />
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Consumerist &raquo; Feed" href="https://consumerist.com/feed/" />
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Consumerist &raquo; Comments Feed" href="https://consumerist.com/comments/feed/" />
	<script type="text/javascript">
		/* <![CDATA[ */
		function addLoadEvent(func) {
			var oldonload = window.onload;
			if (typeof window.onload != 'function') {
				window.onload = func;
			} else {
				window.onload = function () {
					oldonload();
					func();
				}
			}
		}
		/* ]]> */
	</script>
			<script type="text/javascript">
			window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s0.wp.com\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/wpcom-smileys\/twemoji\/2\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s0.wp.com\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/wpcom-smileys\/twemoji\/2\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/s1.wp.com\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?m=1516999477h&ver=4.9.4"}};
			!function(a,b,c){function d(a,b){var c=String.fromCharCode;l.clearRect(0,0,k.width,k.height),l.fillText(c.apply(this,a),0,0);var d=k.toDataURL();l.clearRect(0,0,k.width,k.height),l.fillText(c.apply(this,b),0,0);var e=k.toDataURL();return d===e}function e(a){var b;if(!l||!l.fillText)return!1;switch(l.textBaseline="top",l.font="600 32px Arial",a){case"flag":return!(b=d([55356,56826,55356,56819],[55356,56826,8203,55356,56819]))&&(b=d([55356,57332,56128,56423,56128,56418,56128,56421,56128,56430,56128,56423,56128,56447],[55356,57332,8203,56128,56423,8203,56128,56418,8203,56128,56421,8203,56128,56430,8203,56128,56423,8203,56128,56447]),!b);case"emoji":return b=d([55357,56692,8205,9792,65039],[55357,56692,8203,9792,65039]),!b}return!1}function f(a){var c=b.createElement("script");c.src=a,c.defer=c.type="text/javascript",b.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(c)}var g,h,i,j,k=b.createElement("canvas"),l=k.getContext&&k.getContext("2d");for(j=Array("flag","emoji"),c.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},i=0;i<j.length;i++)c.supports[j[i]]=e(j[i]),c.supports.everything=c.supports.everything&&c.supports[j[i]],"flag"!==j[i]&&(c.supports.everythingExceptFlag=c.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&c.supports[j[i]]);c.supports.everythingExceptFlag=c.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!c.supports.flag,c.DOMReady=!1,c.readyCallback=function(){c.DOMReady=!0},c.supports.everything||(h=function(){c.readyCallback()},b.addEventListener?(b.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",h,!1),a.addEventListener("load",h,!1)):(a.attachEvent("onload",h),b.attachEvent("onreadystatechange",function(){"complete"===b.readyState&&c.readyCallback()})),g=c.source||{},g.concatemoji?f(g.concatemoji):g.wpemoji&&g.twemoji&&(f(g.twemoji),f(g.wpemoji)))}(window,document,window._wpemojiSettings);
		</script>
		<style type="text/css">
img.wp-smiley,
img.emoji {
	display: inline !important;
	border: none !important;
	box-shadow: none !important;
	height: 1em !important;
	width: 1em !important;
	margin: 0 .07em !important;
	vertical-align: -0.1em !important;
	background: none !important;
	padding: 0 !important;
}
</style>
<link rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-0-1' href='https://s2.wp.com/_static/??-eJyVkN0OgjAMhV/IuUBEr4zPMkaFyrottAN9e4fEGzVEbpr+nK/bqZ6issELeNGUVHSpRc96ijaQYkIHj49qb5l3+jfmsAfWN5BobK9e1ZdcOqAsGjHq3OJEMCBLqVkeDtaW2zBA7lM0MisIGjTg8jIva9iETQuScX7nSuC+ilA8vh+a0y6bWbW93Keu4wDMKkfCRGox+rf/+X8+CF7RGsE82RP6TfRywa3UCL4JgxZTO2AzzeyFzkVVlIfieCqr2xOJj84M?cssminify=yes' type='text/css' media='all' />
<link rel='stylesheet' id='fontawesome-css'  href='//netdna.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.0.3/css/font-awesome.css?ver=4.9.4' type='text/css' media='all' />
<link rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-2-1' href='https://s2.wp.com/_static/??-eJx9j+EOgjAMhF/I0UBAfxmfZcwyarqVrANeXxCNEhP+3V37XXIwD8ZJzBgz5B4DKkw0wBLpGDCR5gqcKrBE30kKRaBYLMEJfsAwmoFHT1FhprvHrKDiyLKhtWhnNpggSt6OH3HU6lEMi7OZJO6M6dhSOkITtix+kf6142v/oPf8vgbP0lpeH27hWjZlVZfnS9U8nlVpb+w=?cssminify=yes' type='text/css' media='all' />
<script type='text/javascript' src='https://s0.wp.com/_static/??-eJyFjssKwkAMRX/I6VitYBciLrtz5b7WWDN2Hk4yLfr1pqALsSgEAjcnJ9FDUOiaLp2AtJG6JYj3V8sMzfQvQFlsY82QWXRvuPGOwfHIWn/EDlQiiHUrmYjOfoILntgCkUAT08+X0PUIw1/MAIe6uaoIhI8vK19A7ukeg5aIkoWIxItRc0BC9nG3r2Rpazd5US7LeZGv1uYJsM1voA=='></script>
<script type='text/javascript' src='//use.typekit.net/jyn3ola.js?ver=4.9.4'></script>
<script type='text/javascript' src='https://s1.wp.com/wp-content/themes/vip/consumerist2/js/fonts.js?m=1360207792h'></script>
<link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://consumermediallc.wordpress.com/xmlrpc.php?rsd" />
<link rel="wlwmanifest" type="application/wlwmanifest+xml" href="https://s1.wp.com/wp-includes/wlwmanifest.xml" /> 
<meta name="generator" content="WordPress.com" />
<link rel="canonical" href="http://consumerist.com/2017/08/29/insurance-wont-cover-damage-to-80-of-homes-flooded-by-hurricane-harvey/" />
<link rel='shortlink' href='https://wp.me/p2L7Ik-Haki' />
<link rel="alternate" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://public-api.wordpress.com/oembed/?format=json&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fconsumerist.com%2F2017%2F08%2F29%2Finsurance-wont-cover-damage-to-80-of-homes-flooded-by-hurricane-harvey%2F&amp;for=wpcom-auto-discovery" /><link rel="alternate" type="application/xml+oembed" href="https://public-api.wordpress.com/oembed/?format=xml&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fconsumerist.com%2F2017%2F08%2F29%2Finsurance-wont-cover-damage-to-80-of-homes-flooded-by-hurricane-harvey%2F&amp;for=wpcom-auto-discovery" />
<!-- Jetpack Open Graph Tags -->
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:title" content="Insurance Won&#8217;t Cover Damage To 80% Of Homes Flooded By Hurricane Harvey" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://consumerist.com/2017/08/29/insurance-wont-cover-damage-to-80-of-homes-flooded-by-hurricane-harvey/" />
<meta property="og:description" content="When the flood waters left behind by Hurricane Harvey eventually recede, they will leave behind billions of dollars in property damage. However, a large majority of homeowners will likely have to s…" />
<meta property="article:published_time" content="2017-08-29T20:15:32+00:00" />
<meta property="article:modified_time" content="2017-08-29T20:15:44+00:00" />
<meta property="og:site_name" content="Consumerist" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/door.jpg?w=900" />
<meta property="og:image:width" content="900" />
<meta property="og:image:height" content="1200" />
<meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" />
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@consumerist" />
<meta name="twitter:text:title" content="Insurance Won&#8217;t Cover Damage To 80% Of Homes Flooded By Hurricane&nbsp;Harvey" />
<meta name="twitter:image:src" content="https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/door.jpg?w=640" />
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:creator" content="@consumerist" />
<meta property="article:publisher" content="https://www.facebook.com/WordPresscom" />
<link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon" href="https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/498da4a1827c0de26bc1854d0c809a17?s=32" sizes="16x16" />
<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/498da4a1827c0de26bc1854d0c809a17?s=32" sizes="16x16" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/498da4a1827c0de26bc1854d0c809a17?s=114" />
<link rel='openid.server' href='https://consumermediallc.wordpress.com/?openidserver=1' />
<link rel='openid.delegate' href='https://consumermediallc.wordpress.com/' />
<link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="https://consumerist.com/osd.xml" title="Consumerist" />
<link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="https://s1.wp.com/opensearch.xml" title="WordPress.com" />

<script type="text/javascript">var _sf_startpt=(new Date()).getTime()</script>
		<style>
			.wpcom-related-posts ul li {
				list-style-type: none;
				display: inline-block;
			}
		</style>
				<style type="text/css">
			.recentcomments a {
				display: inline !important;
				padding: 0 !important;
				margin: 0 !important;
			}

			table.recentcommentsavatartop img.avatar, table.recentcommentsavatarend img.avatar {
				border: 0px;
				margin: 0;
			}

			table.recentcommentsavatartop a, table.recentcommentsavatarend a {
				border: 0px !important;
				background-color: transparent !important;
			}

			td.recentcommentsavatarend, td.recentcommentsavatartop {
				padding: 0px 0px 1px 0px;
				margin: 0px;
			}

			td.recentcommentstextend {
				border: none !important;
				padding: 0px 0px 2px 10px;
			}

			.rtl td.recentcommentstextend {
				padding: 0px 10px 2px 0px;
			}

			td.recentcommentstexttop {
				border: none;
				padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px;
			}

			.rtl td.recentcommentstexttop {
				padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;
			}
		</style>
		<meta name="application-name" content="Consumerist" /><meta name="msapplication-window" content="width=device-width;height=device-height" /><meta name="msapplication-task" content="name=Subscribe;action-uri=https://consumerist.com/feed/;icon-uri=https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/498da4a1827c0de26bc1854d0c809a17?s=16" /><style type="text/css" id="syntaxhighlighteranchor"></style>
</head>
<body class="post-template-default single single-post postid-10287802 single-format-standard mp6 customizer-styles-applied custom-header header-full-width longform-post news-red longform-v1 full-width-content">		<span class="no-css-warning" aria-hidden="true" style="background-color:red;font-size:larger;speak:none">Whoops! It looks like portions of our site are being blocked! Check your browser settings or contact your network
administrator.</span>
	<div id="header"><div class="wrap">		<header class="lf-header clearfix">
			<div class="lf-logo">
				<a href="https://consumerist.com"><img src="https://s0.wp.com/wp-content/themes/vip/consumerist2/images/logo-small.jpg" /></a>
			</div>
			<h1 class="lf-title"><a href="https://consumerist.com/2017/08/29/insurance-wont-cover-damage-to-80-of-homes-flooded-by-hurricane-harvey/">Insurance Won&#8217;t Cover Damage To 80% Of Homes Flooded By Hurricane&nbsp;Harvey</a></h1>
			<div class="lf-share">
				<div class="lf-search">
					<form role="search" method="get" id="lf-header-searchform" class="searchform" action="https://consumerist.com/">
						<input type="text" value="" name="s" class="s" />
						<button type="submit"><i class="fa fa-search"></i></button>
					</form>
					<button class="lf-search-toggle" id="lf-search-toggle">
						<i class="fa fa-search"></i>
					</button>
				</div>
			</div>
					</header>
		</div></div><div id="wrap"><div id="fb-root"></div>						<div id="notification-area" class="black hidden">
							<div class="notification-modal"></div>
							<div class="wrap">
								
								<header class="entry-header">
									<div class="tag-wrap">
																				<a class="remove-notice" href="#" id="remove-notice" rel="10293012" data-nonce="162fadf61a">&times;</a>
																			</div>
								</header>

								<h3 class="notice-title">The Future of&nbsp;Consumerist</h3>
								<p>Over the last twelve years, Consumerist has been a steadfast proponent and voice on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. Now, we’re joining forces with Consumer Reports, our parent organization, to cultivate the next generation of consumer advocacy.</p>
<p>Stay tuned as Consumerist’s current and future content finds its home as a part of the Consumer Reports brand. In the meantime, you can access existing Consumerist content below, and we encourage you to visit <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Consumer Reports</a> to read the latest consumer news.</p>
<p class="full-width"><a class="notice-cr-logo" href="https://www.consumerreports.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.consumerreports.org/etc/designs/cr/images/common/footer-logo.svg" alt="Consumer Reports" /></a></p>
								<div class="clear"></div>
							</div> <!-- end .wrap -->
						</div> <!-- end #notification-area -->
					<div id="inner"><div class="wrap"><div id="content-sidebar-wrap"><div id="content" class="hfeed">			<article class="lf-post">
				
				<header class="lf-post-header" style="background-image: url('https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/door.jpg');">
										<h1>
											<p class="lf-post-tags">
							<a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/hurricane-damage/" class="post-tag" rel="tag">
								hurricane damage							</a>
						</p>
										<span>Insurance Won&#8217;t Cover Damage To 80% Of Homes Flooded By Hurricane&nbsp;Harvey</span>
					</h1>
											<span class="lf-credit">Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pdmjr99/34208386443/in/pool-consumerist">Paul McCarthy</a></span>
									</header>
								<div class="article-wrap">
				
				<div class="lf-post-meta">
					<p><span class="date published time" title="2017-08-29T16:15:32+00:00">8.29.17</span> <span class="date published time" title="2017-08-29T16:15:32+00:00">4:15 PM EST</span>  By <span class="author vcard"><span class="fn"><a href="https://consumerist.com/author/ashleekielerconsumerist/" title="Posts by Ashlee Kieler" class="author url fn" rel="author">Ashlee Kieler</a><a href="https://twitter.com/akieler" title="akieler" class="twitter"><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i>@akieler</a></span></span></p><p class="lf-post-tags lf-post-header-tags"><a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/hurricane-damage/" rel="tag">hurricane damage</a> <a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/insurance/" rel="tag">insurance</a> <a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/flood-insurance/" rel="tag">flood insurance</a> <a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/home-damage/" rel="tag">home damage</a> <a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/homeowners-insurance/" rel="tag">homeowner's insurance</a> <a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/hurricane-harvey/" rel="tag">Hurricane Harvey</a> <a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/costs/" rel="tag">costs</a></p>				</div>

				<p>When the flood waters left behind by Hurricane Harvey eventually recede, they will leave behind billions of dollars in property damage. However, a large majority of homeowners will likely have to spend their own money to make their homes livable again.<span id="more-10287802"></span></p>
<p>The Consumer Federation of America <a href="http://consumerfed.org/press_release/consumers-get-fair-claims-payments-wake-hurricane-harvey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank">estimates</a> that &#8212; because of the limited availability of flood insurance and damage limitations placed on most homeowners&#8217; policies &#8212; eight out of ten homeowners with flood damage from Harvey don&#8217;t have insurance that will cover their claims.</p>
<p>Robert Hunter, CFA’s Director of Insurance and former Texas Insurance Commissioner and Federal Insurance Administrator, tells the <a href="https://apnews.com/8475951a210b485f8c107dd41e166efb/Most-Harvey-flood-victims-on-hook-to-pay-for-home-repairs" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Associated Press</a> that the lack of insurance could result in Texas homeowners paying as much as $28 billion out-of-pocket for Harvey-inflicted repairs.</p>
<h2>Limitations On Coverage</h2>
<p>The CFA notes that insurance companies have gradually increased the deductibles associated with hurricane coverage while generally limiting the types of damage they will pay to repair in the wake of a natural disaster.</p>
<p>Most homeowner insurance policies only cover wind damage, not flood damage. In fact, to repair water damage, most homeowners insurance policies require that the damage be the result of water entering the home through a window that is blown out from wind.</p>
<h2>Flood Insurance</h2>
<p>For actual flood insurance, individuals must purchase coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program. This insurance is generally only available to &#8212; and is frequently required of &#8212; homeowners with federally backed mortgages livings in areas vulnerable to flooding.</p>
<p>The AP notes that while there are around 1.2 million properties in Houston deemed to be at moderate to high risk for flooding, these buildings are <em>not</em> situated in designated flood zones where the flood insurance is required.</p>
<p>According to a<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/29/where-harvey-is-hitting-hardest-four-out-of-five-homeowners-lack-flood-insurance/?utm_term=.e821b1248207" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank"> Washington Post</a> analysis of Federal Emergency Management Agency data, only 17% of homeowners in the counties most affected by Harvey have flood insurance.</p>
<p>Still, CFA estimates that insurance companies will pay about $7 billion for more than 150,000 anticipated flood and wind damage claims submitted after the storm.</p>
<p>However, the agency cautions that claims, insurance payments, and out-of-pocket costs could increase depending on how much rainfall occurs in certain areas of Houston.</p>
<h2>If You Don’t Have Insurance</h2>
<p>While the wind damage to properties in Texas was significant during Harvey, the 12-50 inches of rain that have fallen in the area so far may prove even more damaging.</p>
<p>Hunter tells the AP that homeowners without flood insurance could try to apply for federal disaster relief benefits.</p>
<p>However, these benefits aren’t the same as insurance coverage. Instead, they are similar to low-interest loans, that must be repaid.</p>
<p>For those who don’t have federal flood insurance, advocates urge them to contact their homeowners’ insurance company anyway.</p>
<p>“Don’t assume you won’t [receive money from an insurer] if you don’t see problems with the naked eye,” Kristin Sullivan, a financial planner, tells <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-homeowners-in-the-path-of-hurricane-harvey-should-do-after-the-storm-2017-08-26" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank">MarketWatch.</a></p>
<h2>Filing A Claim</h2>
<p>Consumers suffering home damage as a result of Hurricane Harvey are urged to contact their insurance companies as soon as possible.</p>
<p>CFA notes that while the federal government underwrites flood insurance coverage, actual insurance companies service claims.</p>
<p>As a result, homeowners should follow the same procedures as they would with a traditional claim.</p>
<p>CFA offers<a href="http://consumerfed.org/press_release/consumers-get-fair-claims-payments-wake-hurricane-harvey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank"> several tips</a> for individuals filing, including to keep clear records of the damage and their interactions with the insurance company.</p>
<p>“Because so many consumers experienced severe claims problems in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Superstorm Sandy, we urge homeowners dealing with losses caused by Hurricane Harvey to be vigilant with their insurance companies, including the insurers settling National Flood Insurance claims, to ensure that they receive a full and fair settlement,” Hunter said in a statement.</p>

				<footer class="lf-post-footer">
					<div class="lf-post-meta">
						<p><span class="lf-post-footer--dates">8.29.17</span>By <span class="author vcard"><span class="fn"><a href="https://consumerist.com/author/ashleekielerconsumerist/" title="Posts by Ashlee Kieler" class="author url fn" rel="author">Ashlee Kieler</a><a href="https://twitter.com/akieler" title="akieler" class="twitter"><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i>@akieler</a></span></span></p><p class="lf-post-tags"><a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/hurricane-damage/" rel="tag">hurricane damage</a> <a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/insurance/" rel="tag">insurance</a> <a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/flood-insurance/" rel="tag">flood insurance</a> <a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/home-damage/" rel="tag">home damage</a> <a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/homeowners-insurance/" rel="tag">homeowner's insurance</a> <a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/hurricane-harvey/" rel="tag">Hurricane Harvey</a> <a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/costs/" rel="tag">costs</a></p>					</div>

									</footer>

								</div>
			</article><!-- .lf-post -->

			<div class="wpcom-related-posts widget widget_related_posts" id="wpcom-related-posts-10287802">
<div class="widget-wrap cs-related clearfix">
<h3>Related</h3>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/a-tough-go/" class="cs-tag" rel="tag">
a tough go
</a>
<a href="https://consumerist.com/2017/08/31/federal-disaster-loans-could-be-difficult-to-obtain-after-harvey/">
<div class="cs-related-image-cover" style="background-image: url(https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/realestatehousesapartments.jpg?w=360&#038;h=360&#038;crop=1);"></div>
<span class="cs-related-title">Federal Disaster Loans Could Be Difficult To Obtain After Harvey</span>
</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/irmasurance/" class="cs-tag" rel="tag">
irmasurance
</a>
<a href="https://consumerist.com/2017/09/14/shortage-of-insurance-adjusters-may-delay-claims-for-hurricane-irma-victims/">
<div class="cs-related-image-cover" style="background-image: url(https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/hurricaneirmasatphoto.jpg?w=360&#038;h=360&#038;crop=1);"></div>
<span class="cs-related-title">Shortage Of Insurance Adjusters May Delay Claims For Hurricane Irma Victims</span>
</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/watch-out/" class="cs-tag" rel="tag">
watch out
</a>
<a href="https://consumerist.com/2017/09/07/4-things-to-look-out-for-when-returning-home-after-a-hurricane/">
<div class="cs-related-image-cover" style="background-image: url(https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/3k_rubble_in_front_of_home.jpg?w=360&#038;h=360&#038;crop=1);"></div>
<span class="cs-related-title">4 Things To Look Out For When Returning Home After A Hurricane</span>
</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/disastrous-recovery/" class="cs-tag" rel="tag">
disastrous recovery
</a>
<a href="https://consumerist.com/2016/05/24/how-flood-insurance-failed-superstorm-sandy-victims-when-their-homes-actually-flooded/">
<div class="cs-related-image-cover" style="background-image: url(https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/gowanus_sandy.jpg?w=360&#038;h=360&#038;crop=1);"></div>
<span class="cs-related-title">How Flood Insurance Failed Superstorm Sandy Victims When Their Homes Actually Flooded</span>
</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://consumerist.com/tag/just-hang-up/" class="cs-tag" rel="tag">
just hang up
</a>
<a href="https://consumerist.com/2017/08/31/if-youre-getting-robocalls-about-flood-insurance-theyre-scams/">
<div class="cs-related-image-cover" style="background-image: url(https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/urban-search-rescue3.jpg?w=360&#038;h=360&#038;crop=1);"></div>
<span class="cs-related-title">If You&#8217;re Getting Robocalls About Flood Insurance, They&#8217;re Scams</span>
</a>
</li>
</ul></div></div><div class="navigation next-previous-post">			<div class="alignleft">
				<a href="https://consumerist.com/2017/08/29/hundreds-of-android-apps-pulled-from-google-play-store-after-researchers-discover-botnet/">
					<span class="pagination-previous-label">Previous </span>
					Hundreds Of Android Apps Pulled From Google Play Store After Researchers Discover&nbsp;Botnet				</a>
			</div>
					<div class="alignright">
				<a href="https://consumerist.com/2017/08/29/hurricane-harvey-cancels-thousands-of-flights-disrupts-shipping/">
					<span class="pagination-next-label">Next </span>
					Hurricane Harvey Cancels Thousands Of Flights, Disrupts&nbsp;Shipping				</a>
			</div>
		</div><div class="after-post-ad"><div id="text-5" class="widget widget_text"><div class="widget-wrap">			<div class="textwidget"></div>
		</div></div>
</div><!-- end .after-post-ad --></div></div><script type='text/javascript'>
								var _gaq = _gaq || [];
								_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-10697639-1']);
_gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);

								(function() {
									var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;
									ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js';
									var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);
								})();
							</script>
</div></div>	<nav class="nav-article">
											<div class="nav-article-item nav-article-next" data-track="Fixed Next Article Button">
			<a href="https://consumerist.com/2017/08/29/hurricane-harvey-cancels-thousands-of-flights-disrupts-shipping/" rel="prev"><span class="nav-article-title"><span class="nav-article-title-group"><span class="nav-article-label">Next Up:</span> <span class="nav-article-text">Hurricane Harvey Cancels Thousands Of Flights, Disrupts&nbsp;Shipping</span></span></span><span class="fa fa-angle-right"></span></a>		</div>
	</nav>
	</div><div id="footer-widgets" class="footer-widgets"><div class="wrap"><div class="footer-widgets-1 widget-area"><div id="black-studio-tinymce-6" class="widget widget_black_studio_tinymce"><div class="widget-wrap"><div class="textwidget"><p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10247868" src="https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/footer-logo.png?w=300" alt="Consumerist" width="300" height="38" /></p>
<p>Part of <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10254758" src="https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/consumer-reports-logo.png" alt="Consumer Reports" width="212" height="22" /></p>
</div></div></div>
</div><div class="footer-widgets-2 widget-area"><div id="black-studio-tinymce-2" class="widget widget_black_studio_tinymce"><div class="widget-wrap"><div class="textwidget"><p>Founded in 2005, Consumerist&reg; is an independent source of consumer news and information published by Consumer Media LLC, a not-for-profit subsidiary of Consumer Reports.</p>
</div></div></div>
</div><div class="footer-widgets-3 widget-area"><div id="nav_menu-3" class="widget widget_nav_menu"><div class="widget-wrap"><div class="menu-footer-menu-container"><ul id="menu-footer-menu" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-10247861" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-10247861"><a href="https://consumerist.com/about-us-2/">About Us</a></li>
<li id="menu-item-10254867" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-10254867"><a href="https://consumerist.com/connect-with-us/">Connect With Us</a></li>
<li id="menu-item-10247864" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-10247864"><a href="https://consumerist.com/no-commercial-use-2/">No Commercial Use Policy</a></li>
<li id="menu-item-10288226" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-10288226"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/customerservice/privacy-policy/highlights/index.htm">Privacy Policy</a></li>
<li id="menu-item-10247866" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-10247866"><a href="https://consumerist.com/user-agreement-2/">User Agreement</a></li>
<li id="menu-item-10247867" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-10247867"><a href="https://jobs-consumers.icims.com/jobs/search?pr=0">Work With Us</a></li>
</ul></div></div></div>
</div><div class="footer-widgets-4 widget-area"></div><div class="footer-widgets-5 widget-area"></div></div></div><div id="footer" class="footer"><div class="wrap"><ul id="menu-bottom-footer-menu" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-10288225" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-10288225"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy-policy/highlights/index.htm">Privacy Policy</a></li>
<li id="menu-item-10287493" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-10287493"><a href="https://consumerist.com/user-agreement-2/">User Agreement</a></li>
</ul>	<div class="footer--copyright">
		&copy; 2005 &mdash; 2018 Consumer Media, LLC<br>
		Powered by <a href="https://vip.wordpress.com/?utm_source=vip_powered_wpcom&#038;utm_medium=web&#038;utm_campaign=VIP%20Footer%20Credit&#038;utm_term=consumerist.com" rel="generator nofollow" class="powered-by-wpcom">WordPress.com VIP</a>	</div>
	</div></div><!-- wpcom_wp_footer -->
		<script type="text/javascript">
						var _sf_async_config={};
			_sf_async_config.uid = "28487";
			_sf_async_config.domain = "consumerist.com";
			_sf_async_config.useCanonical = "false";
			 _sf_async_config.authors = "Ashlee Kieler";
			_sf_async_config.sections = "Economic Health, Insurance";
					(function(){
			        function loadChartbeat() {
					window._sf_endpt=(new Date()).getTime();
					var e = document.createElement('script');
					e.setAttribute('language', 'javascript');
					e.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript');
					e.setAttribute('src', "\/\/static.chartbeat.com\/js\/chartbeat.js" );
					document.body.appendChild(e);
				  }
				  var oldonload = window.onload;
				  window.onload = (typeof window.onload != 'function') ?
					 loadChartbeat : function() { try { oldonload(); } catch (e) { loadChartbeat(); throw e} loadChartbeat(); };
				})();
		</script>
	<div style="display:none">
	</div>
<script type='text/javascript'>
/* <![CDATA[ */
var consumeristAdobeAnalytics = {"pageName":"article:Insurance Won\u2019t Cover Damage To 80% Of Homes Flooded By Hurricane\u00a0Harvey","categories":"economic-health:insurance","publishDate":"2017-08-29","author":"Ashlee Kieler"};
/* ]]> */
</script>
<script type='text/javascript'>
/* <![CDATA[ */
var consumerist_ajax = {"ajaxurl":"https:\/\/consumerist.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php","edit_nonce":"96674f6f44","encrypt_token_nonce":"b28df69008","profile_nonce":"9ab040fa13"};
/* ]]> */
</script>
<script type='text/javascript'>
/* <![CDATA[ */
var notices_ajax_script = {"ajaxurl":"https:\/\/consumerist.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php"};
/* ]]> */
</script>
<script type='text/javascript'>
/* <![CDATA[ */
var wpcomVipAnalytics = {"is_404":"0","is_home":"0","is_single":"1","is_front_page":"0","is_archive":"0","percentToTrack":"1"};
/* ]]> */
</script>
<script type='text/javascript' src='https://s1.wp.com/_static/??-eJydlF1OQyEQhTckxTZpjA/GuAAXMYXp7dwCgzDctq5erlrTNDVmfCNwvsP8gT1k4zgJJrFjtR4ncpiPi7He2Yuj2EwObaBUbaA9VvvWsOEOkg9YrsWyw9glE2Xbt2qLWKjKavZ/yfkVobbSFUkUIHjeoIEE4STkqoIce6jltHDMe8IzR8mF5jvRBS15LNVxwUWkpHCurlDWJJFYaEsOhPqBghPYBNQAEybP5ZuDw//JXijSZFjZEQQSbSkDvJ9MYPDmy0HV31f2SuJzIoQ5CGVt0ykNAU3mqqnLuawFUqW5/Xr2nTkqKIowqGZmSyJ41CQVOA1bLvHWo/qqsW1krx/WbdWB/IDyt64PZr3VsYsPamXmYMfPmH//MS4A8N3QbKDYCFWw9JXhCUuh+fqfPaVD77Xbz9c+x6flerl6eFjdrx/HDys8DRY='></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
// <![CDATA[
(function() {
try{
  if ( window.external &&'msIsSiteMode' in window.external) {
    if (window.external.msIsSiteMode()) {
      var jl = document.createElement('script');
      jl.type='text/javascript';
      jl.async=true;
      jl.src='/wp-content/plugins/ie-sitemode/custom-jumplist.php';
      var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
      s.parentNode.insertBefore(jl, s);
    }
  }
}catch(e){}
})();
// ]]>
</script><script type="text/javascript">jQuery(document).ready(function($) { $(".ui-tabs").tabs(); });</script>
<script src="//stats.wp.com/w.js?56" type="text/javascript" async defer></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_tkq = window._tkq || [];
_stq = window._stq || [];
_tkq.push(['storeContext', {'blog_id':'40783744','blog_tz':'-5','user_lang':'en','blog_lang':'en','user_id':'0'}]);
_stq.push(['view', {'blog':'40783744','v':'wpcom','tz':'-5','user_id':'0','post':'10287802','subd':'consumermediallc'}]);
function st_vt() {var x=document.createElement("img");x.src="https://pixel.wp.com/g.gif?blog=40783744&v=wpcomvt&tz=-5&user_id=0&post=10287802&subd=consumermediallc&rand="+Math.random();}
_stq.push(['extra', {'crypt':'UE40eW5QN0p8M2Y/RE1BNmNJfGhxNCVxUDExYmtib2E/SzdEJm0lUEtbdFU0fFk4cHZvcUFrZT90Tn4yQm1+R3NyNTdoLDB8eixZeXB1Z3k5WF0seGROJXU9emMwMDZnSVd6U25DeCVddjh5fEhbeiVTNm8yTWw/LUh1KyZwMFIrOWRTcEpkaisuZyx1bVUwWEsyVGJPaCtoQnRsOS1fTFQ/VEpVelV+bytVW1g1VDFhRkRCam9GWWR3Uj1WLDRBPTZLLjdNeHFETExEV2k/ci1xVSVzND1LaWF4K2RtNVUtYTlVdHJkc1hiPWFMOHBhbURfYg=='}]);
_stq.push([ 'clickTrackerInit', '40783744', '10287802' ]);
	</script>
<noscript><img src="https://pixel.wp.com/b.gif?v=noscript" style="height:0px;width:0px;overflow:hidden" alt="" /></noscript>
<script>
if ( 'object' === typeof wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info ) {

	wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info.init();
	var mobileStatsQueryString = "";
	
	if( false !== wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info.matchedPlatformName )
		mobileStatsQueryString += "&x_" + 'mobile_platforms' + '=' + wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info.matchedPlatformName;
	
	if( false !== wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info.matchedUserAgentName )
		mobileStatsQueryString += "&x_" + 'mobile_devices' + '=' + wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info.matchedUserAgentName;
	
	if( wpcom_mobile_user_agent_info.isIPad() )
		mobileStatsQueryString += "&x_" + 'ipad_views' + '=' + 'views';

	if( "" != mobileStatsQueryString ) {
		new Image().src = document.location.protocol + '//pixel.wp.com/g.gif?v=wpcom-no-pv' + mobileStatsQueryString + '&baba=' + Math.random();
	}
	
}
</script></body>
</html>
