LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — With the historic damage and sheer impact across Kentucky, the Better Business Bureau is already warning Kentuckians about storm-chasing scammers.
Blue Grass Energy shared in a Facebook post that customers are getting calls from scammers saying they need to pay past-due bills before their power is restored.
The widespread damage is not hard to find. Neither are questions about what to do about clean up and who pays for it.
Caleb and Maddox Evans are first-time homebuyers. When a neighbor's tree fell in their yard and into their roof, they had no idea what to do.
"I don't know what to do with insurance. I don't know If insurance will even do anything," said Maddox Evans.
It's the kind of clean-up questions that are pouring into the Kentucky Farm Bureau.
Managing agent Kristin Clark says that since Friday, the agency has received more than 8,000 claims.
"People just trying to get through to us trying to find out what's the next step for them and what they should do," said Clark.
Clark believes it will be one of the biggest insurance claim events in state history. She shared tips for those who may not be able to get in touch with an insurance agent or adjuster right away.
Question: What should people do first?
Clark: "The first thing I encourage consumers to do is call their local insurance agency. Speak to someone there. Report the claim online. Report to the 1-800 number just so they can get on the list, adjusters are going to be swamped. All the consumers are going to have to have patience in dealing with this because this is a statewide storm that has caused statewide problems. That's gonna stretch all the resources very thin."
Question: Should I start cleaning up debris or cover my roof?
Clark: "If you need to tarp your roof, go ahead and have that tarp. If you need to set a fence up because you have dogs, go ahead and set that fence up. Just take lots of pictures, document everything and if you have to go buy things, buy a tarp, all that kind of stuff, hang on to your receipts and the adjuster will get with you."
Question: I have home insurance but I'm worried this won't be covered.
Clark: "Pretty much any kind of damage on your house, any kind of wind damage, in most circumstances, is going to be covered right now. If you have a detached structure, such as a detached garage, and part of the roof is missing from that where a door was blown off, that's going to be something that's covered, but you have those conversations with your insurance agent or with the claims adjuster when you speak with them and they'll address that specifically. There are some things that are not going to be covered, but for the majority, in this type of storm, most things will be covered."
Question: If I have a homeowner's policy, why do I still have to pay?
Answer: Most homeowner's policies have at least a $1,000 deductible. Some policies have higher than that. An insurance deductible is a specific amount you must spend before your insurance policy pays for some or all of your claims.
Questions: What should people not do?
Clark: "Don't use the roofers that come around knocking on your door passing out cards. Those are usually out-of-town companies that are storm chasers basically, and they'll come in and just bombard a neighborhood and try to get a bunch of bids and then they'll leave town and that leaves you without a warranty or service work in the future if you have any problems. So I highly suggest you check out the roofing companies — you use people that are local, who your friends and neighbors have used and who you've heard of before."
Question: A tree fell on my car, will that be covered?
Clark: "A lot of people think that glass breakage is, in the state of Kentucky, automatically covered on your policy. It is not. It is part of the comprehensive coverage on your auto policy. So if you have comprehensive, you would have coverage from your damage from this storm for the vehicle."
Question: Who pays when it was someone else's tree that fell into my yard?
Clark: "That's out of pocket. If it falls in the street, possibly the sidewalks, you could call the city. They might send somebody out if it's blocking your street. But if it's in your yard, you are responsible for cleaning it up. In a circumstance such as this, where it's been catastrophic storms and wind up to 70-80 miles an hour, it really doesn't matter whose tree it is. If it fell in your yard, if it fell on your fence, you're going to pay to clean it up or your insurance company is going to pay to clean it up. It's a different matter if the tree was dead, and they should have removed that tree six months ago."
The Better Business Bureau says utility companies would never call a customer to demand payment in order to prevent it from being shut off.
They advise trying to get multiple quotes from contractors.
They also suggest not paying in advance.
You can report price gouging to the BBB and the Office of the Attorney General.
