ODESSA, TX (KWES) - Some storms hit this past Tuesday kicking off the beginning of storm season in West Texas, with some brutal winds following behind the storm on Wednesday.
Those winds reached 70-80 miles per hour and damaged some homes.
Storms that cause damage to property like homes and vehicles are nothing new to the Permian Basin.
In June of 2017, insurance companies were bombarded with calls trying to file claims.
To prepare residents for storm season, an insurance agent broke down what to do when you have property damage... simply put: “Always call your agent first."
“Most people are not familiar with what their policies cover or what their deductible is. Well their agent is going to go over what their coverage is on their policy what they’re deductible is; because the deductible will always be a part of the claim process and what’s paid out and what’s not.” said Melissa Roberts, an insurance agent with Farmers Insurance.
Roberts says after you’ve made the call to your agent, they will take over the claim.
Often the next step after filing the claim is to begin getting estimates for the repairs.
Insurance agencies will sometimes provide a list of contractors that they’ve used in the past to make things easier for their client, but a person has the right to choose whomever they want to perform the repairs.
The timing of the call is also up to the client.
“I mean when we had the June hail storm in 2017 there were hundreds of calls pouring in and there were some customers that waited that would say, ‘Hey I gave it two weeks because I know y’all are super busy...' It doesn’t hurt them to wait a little bit of time." said Roberts.
"I mean you don’t want to wait months and months but waiting a few days to let everything kind of clear out and calm down with the influx of calls, that’s fine to do. But you definitely don’t have to do it that way.”
When damages are wide spread in the area like in 2017, it can slow down turn around time for insurance claims.
Regardless, the faster you call the agent the faster the weight is removed from your shoulders and put on your agent’s.
If you are still confused about your coverage after the first initial phone call with your agent, Roberts has a suggestion.
“Have a sit down with your agent. Have them schedule a time and appointment on the calendar where you can sit down with them and say I wanna know what are these coverages?” urged Roberts.
Claiming property damage can be overwhelming for some but getting educated about your personal policy is the best way to understand how to claim property damage after a storm.
