Florida Homeowner Insurance Oak Tree Removal

First responders to Irene left their own homes in peril

While most residents of Southern Maryland were hunkered down during Hurricane Irene on the weekend of Aug. 27, some were out with their volunteer fire departments to help others or were on their essential jobs, unable to do anything about the damage to their own homes.

During Hurricane Irene, two poplar trees came down on the home of Ron Rennick in Port Republic. He lost a 20-foot-by-20-foot section of wall upstairs and a corner of the house, which allowed the rain to come in soaking all the way down to the basement.

His home in Port Republic was declared uninhabitable. He sent his dogs to a kennel and had to find shelter for himself and his wife.

�Trying to find a hotel room was a real treat and dealing with the insurance company was a real treat,� he said.

His employer, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, needed him on the job to help in the electrical restoration but allowed him get his affairs in order before coming back to work.

Rennick is the safety testing and inspection coordinator for SMECO and was a lineman for 23 years. He worked with a crew from Florida on shifts 17 hours long for three days straight after Irene.

�I was lucky �cause the other guys were out three days ahead of me,� he said.

He couldn�t thank the visiting crew enough.

�I hope we have the opportunity to return the favor if Florida gets knocked around,� he said.

It took SMECO six days to get the system back up and fully running.

�There is nothing that makes you feel better than to impact people�s lives. It�s a very gratifying job,� he said, and no one got hurt during the restoration.

Rennick and his wife stayed at a hotel for eight days until they restored the first floor of their house enough to be livable. Now he�s waiting on his insurance company for the rest of the needed repairs.

Rennick has lived in Calvert County for 26 years and he�s ridden out other major storms like Isabel and the 1994 ice storm.

Bucks Blog: Hurricane Insurance Claims: All About Falling Trees

Now that Hurricane Irene has passed, the thoughts of homeowners spin to filing claims for damage caused by the storm. Several Bucks readers had questions about damage caused by trees, so you spoke with member of the Insurance Information Institute for a few answers.

For even more sum about hired gun trees, the Institute has combined an online video that covers the topic. For decisive answers about your own property, of course, you should examine your process and call your representative or the firm that wrote the policy.

Q: Does insurance casing the cost of depressed tree removal, if it does not strike your home?

A. Generally, no. Homeowners insurance covers damage to insured structures, similar to your residence or a isolated garage. You’re moreover covered for consequent damage to any contents, and the cost of stealing the tree if it falls on possibly structure. But, “If it only creates a muddle in your backyard, it’s normally not covered,” says Jeanne Salvatore, a mouthpiece is to Institute.

That said, there are always exceptions ” and a few companies might casing withdrawal of a depressed tree if it blocks, say, a drive or ramp vital for a disabled person to access the property. The most appropriate way to find out is to call your agent, she says: “Don’t make an premise that you’re not covered.”

Q: Does the insurance casing deputy of trees, together with removal? And what about withdrawal of a tree before the storm, to safeguard the residence from the tree that might drop on it?

A: No and no. Standard homeowners insurance normally covers structures, says Ms. Salvatore. That means if a charge blows over a large ash and it smashes by your roof, the process pays for a new roof tiles ” but not a new oak. (Oddly, though, there might be coverage for damage to trees and shrubs shop-worn by glow or vandalism, according to the Institute).

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