You Know You're Having A Bad Day When....

[Lord Jim]

your house catches on fire and then floats away:

Flooding in West Virginia Is So Bad a Burning House Floated Down a Creek



West Virginia is in the midst of a rash of deadly flooding, and one particularly dystopian video shows what appears to be a burning house floating through a creek in the town of White Sulphur Springs.

West Virginia MetroNews reports that the house was seen floating down Howard’s Creek on Thursday afternoon. In the video, someone can be heard saying, “Dad, watch out!”

The National Weather Service Office in Blacksburg, Virginia told MetroNews that the 24-hour rainfall total for White Sulphur Springs was 8.17 inches. Two people have been killed by the flooding, including an eight-year-old, and another is still missing. Forty-four counties in West Virginia are reportedly under a state of emergency.

http://gizmodo.com/flooding-in-west-vir ... 1782555131

[RayThom]

Just as well. The entire White Sulphur Springs Fire Department was busy up creek rescuing a cat that got stuck in a tree.

[Bicycle Bill]

I can just imagine the telephone conversation:
"Hello, Fly-By-Night Insurance Company.  How may I help you?"
mumble-mumble-mumble
"You want to file a claim on your home insurance policy?  You say your house caught fire, and while it was burning it was swept away in a flood?"
mumble-mumble-mumble
"Well, let me just review your policy.  One moment please...."
(a minute or two later)
"I'm very sorry.  After reviewing your policy with us, I see that you had insurance that covers you for fire or flood, so your event does not fall under the provisions of the coverage.  You should have had our 'Fire *AND* Flood' insurance."

-"BB"-

[rubato]

Homeowner: Roulette Insurance company?

Roulette: Yes.

Homeowner: My home caught fire and burned.

Roulette: I'm so sorry sir. I see your policy covers damage due to fire so I'll send a claims inspector right out to inspect the damage.

Homeowner: Well you see it isn't there any more.

Roulette: Right, we need to look at what's left of it to assess the extent of the loss and rule out arson, that sort of thing.

Homeowner: But NONE of it is there. The whole thing just <whoosh> rafted downstream while it was on fire. The river picked it up and what's left of it washed down two counties into the Mississippi and out into the Gulf of Mexico.

Roulette: Did I misunderstand you sir? I thought this was a fire claim. Was it water damage? In any case our rules require that we inspect the insured property before authorizing any claim. It really is necessary. Otherwise we would have people pointing to empty parking places and claiming it as proof their car was stolen. You DO understand?



Homeowner:

[Bicycle Bill]

rubato must have dealt with insurance companies before as well.

-"BB"-

[MajGenl.Meade]

No, he's a generalizing bigot. You can bet he's got insurance up the wazoo and you probably do as well. The house wasn't on fire before it started raining (idiots). It became detached from its foundation by flooding waters and the fire began (doubtless) as gas or oil (eh not so much) lines ruptured and took fire. Or maybe they had a paraffin heater alight and it tipped over when the house took off.

Looks as if you both need to talk to your insurance agent because you obviously don't know what your coverage is.

On a standard homeowner policy there is no protection from flood. Flood insurance is a Fed program with a $250K limit. Every HO insurance company sells the same Fed policy for the same premium.

Objects in your particular state may appear differently. But I doubt it. Some may want to check on earthquakes - not covered on a standard HO.

Incidentally, there is a fine distinction between water damage and flood - not the same thing at all. If a rock suddenly fell through your roof and rain entered, that's water damage (but not a flood). All flood damages are water damages of course.

[rubato]

We have very high deductables on everything (cars $1,000, HOI $10,000) because we can pay cash for losses considerable above that level and choose to self-insure rather than pay crooks. Flooding at this location is impossible unless someone redirects a stream up-slope from us (unlikely and very hard to do engineeringwise ) which would make them liable for damages.


Glad to see you admit that if flooding caused the loss they might get nothing, or very little, back for their annual premiums.

I chose not to invent facts not in evidence about the cause of the fire or the time of its genesis. Smoking is still one of the most common preventable causes of residence fires and lung cancer.


yrs,
rubato

[MajGenl.Meade]

We have very high deductables on everything (cars $1,000, HOI $10,000) because we can pay cash for losses considerable above that level and choose to self-insure rather than pay crooks. Flooding at this location is impossible unless someone redirects a stream up-slope from us (unlikely and very hard to do engineeringwise ) which would make them liable for damages.


Glad to see you admit that if flooding caused the loss they might get nothing, or very little, back for their annual premiums.

I chose not to invent facts not in evidence about the cause of the fire or the time of its genesis. Smoking is still one of the most common preventable causes of residence fires and lung cancer.

1. sensible on the deductibles

2. you're falling into the ocean soon so no worries about floods eh?

3. I "admit" nothing. That's like "admitting" the world is round. S'fact. Why would anyone expect to purchase (say) an oven and think it would keep their milk cold? HO policies don't cover flood - it's not a secret that flood insurance is a Federal program. Trying to get people to buy it is very difficult - and of course "it's a rip off" if they do buy it and "it's a rip off" if they don't. I only sold two flood policies, both required by mortgage companies to protect houses in high risk flood zones. I didn't buy one myself - way up on high ground.

4. Yes, I just bet someone was smoking in that house; then it caught fire; and then coincidentally it rained for 40 days and nights and the house floated off. I invented no "facts" but made a rational deduction from the evidence. Or I suppose you'll be agitating that all the house fires that broke out during the Japanese tsunami were started by smokers and then fortunately extinguished by a coincidental giant tidal surge.

[Guinevere]

On a standard homeowner policy there is no protection from flood. Flood insurance is a Fed program with a $250K limit. Every HO insurance company sells the same Fed policy for the same premium.

Yes.

Not exactly. The 250k limit applies to the structure only. You can also purchase contents coverage for an additional premium.

No. Other HO companies purport to sell "flood" insurance, which is usually the federal product re-sold at some premium, but plenty of people don't seem to know/understand.

Oh, and flood insurance coverage is generally for waters which rise from below. Water that comes from above (rain/wave) is more typically either covered via a wind damage rider or not covered at all (on a homeowners). Yes, I've litigated all of those issues.