Galveston weather concerns

[sandpiper35]

Houston has a lot of work ahead to prevent another even like this. Time to call the Dutch engineers to plan for a 1000 year event, and build the necessary structures.

[BecciBoo]

Yes, as I believe Ducklight said, your comp coverage should pay off with flood damage. But don't expect total compensation. They can get pretty chinchy with value. GAP coverage has to be purchased in the case of an upside down note on any vehicle, or you may find yourself coming up short on the payoff.

[JTBCruiser]

Here's a very useful tool if you need to check the roadways in Houston area:

http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/cctv/transtar/

 

Wow things are considerably better in Houston this morning, have checked almost all the areas that were lakes yesterday and there is traffic on them and mostly some isolated puddles.

 

 

OMG!! Is this for real??!! Incredible, never dreamed it would clear this fast.

[Cindy]

This is one reason we live on a hill...a big a$$ hill with drainage swales all around our house! It would have to be larger proportions than the I10 photo to reach our home. Like Noah :cool: This event might be a reason for everyone reading this thread to reassess their own situation and consider purchasing the FEMA coverage....but beware...it's expensive! Most people in Houston kept saying "We've never seen anything like this".....it only takes one time.....

 

 

 

We're not in a flood plain and we have flood insurance. We have the maximum allowed for contents and structure, and it's not that expensive when you consider the alternative. We flooded once (not major, only partial) and that set us back $20,000 for just flooring in 4 rooms and a hallway. We bought the insurance right after that. I'm beyond thankful we haven't had to use it yet.

 

 

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[BecciBoo]

Cindy, voluntary flood insurance is not too high because you're in a very low risk zone...probably a C zone. So the incidence of loss is less and therefore coverage cheaper. COBRA is the most expensive, I sold a COBRA zone policy only a couple of times. One policy was around $800 which was over and above the homeowners coverage and that was almost 15 yrs ago.

 

BTW, anyone can go to your county and see the FEMA map of your area and what flood zone you are in...actually every property has a designated flood zone. Or you can go direct to the FEMA site and look up your address:

https://msc.fema.gov/portal

 

Remember, a lot of folks were in C zone (commonly termed "not in a flood zone") who have suffered a flood loss as a result of this storm. Unprecedented!

[geocruiser]

The concept of a 100 yr flood is a misnomer also. Really no such thing. Just because someone calls it a 100 yr flood does not mean you won't have another next year. That nomenclature is just cliche. FEMA doesn't even use that term because it gives a false narrative that the odds are with you not to have another for 100 yrs.

Meaning of a 100 year flood.

 

https://water.usgs.gov/edu/100yearflood-basic.html

In a nut shell it means that it has a 1% chance of happening in any given year. So you are right it can happen again.

[Rasvar]

Houston area should start draining quickly now with the rain stopped. Areas around reservoirs will take longest time. The bigger problem may be damaged road beds. As they dry out, some sections may start to sag and break. Not to mention any of the washouts. Roads should be driveable soon but there will be rough sections. Considering Houston's traffic was bad on good days, it will be pretty rough for a while until all repairs can be made.

Edited August 30, 2017 by Rasvar

[Cuizer2]

It also looks like royal Caribbean will definitely be there on Sunday as they have definitely told us if we don't get to the port we get no refund. They've been very quick to point out that the roads and the airports appear like they're going to be open. They were also nice enough to post that there will be no more rain. In other words get to the port or we are sailing without you…I wish Royal Caribbean was just nice to me when I called them as that gentleman tonight was at Southwest.

 

We keep saying that the cruise lines cannot control the weather. Apparently we were wrong. So, if Royal Caribbean can control the weather, then it is fair to blame Royal Caribbean when the weather is bad.

[Coopdog08]

Yes, as I believe Ducklight said, your comp coverage should pay off with flood damage. But don't expect total compensation. They can get pretty chinchy with value. GAP coverage has to be purchased in the case of an upside down note on any vehicle, or you may find yourself coming up short on the payoff.

Comp and collision will cover your car but there are fine prints..you won't be getting the full value, typically 80-90% of what was the value before incident. In addition if car is 10 years or older you will most likely get nothing.

 

As to the people selling cars after this it is very important to do your research on that car. Insurers will not cover any car that has been in flood damage.

[Cuizer2]

I worked for USAA for over 10 yrs selling flood insurance and what most don't know is that normal home insurance for people not located in FEMA flood zones does not provide any coverage for rising water (flooding caused by a hurricane). You have to specifically purchase flood coverage from FEMA in addition to your homeowners coverage. Most people do not. The only damage from water covered by your homeowners is that done by water that originates from inside the home, such as broken water pipe, leaking plumbing, etc. Water that enters the home from outside it is not covered by any insurance company, only by FEMA coverage.

 

Water is not flood water until it hits the ground. Rain that enters the house because of some damage or defect in the house is covered by a homeowners policy.

[Cuizer2]

This is a great explanation of how flood insurance works. Thanks for posting!

Good information and clarity in that post.

 

Close personal friends in the Baton Rouge area were among the 170,000 people who had flooded homes a year ago (not covered 5% as much in the media as this hurricane, so many people not even aware it happened). Katrina was another story.

 

As stated...nearly no one had flood insurance (from FEMA) that was of any value (not in a FEMA flood zone) and their area never flooded in 100+ years. They virtually lost 90% of everything...house, cars, furnishings, clothes...etc.

 

Nearly a year later (May) they moved back into their home that required 150,000 in repair costs.

 

This will be no less in scope and many billions in losses.

 

Great explanation, thank you. I better meet with my agent soonand have him expand onthat.

 

Can you shed any light on vehicle collision coverage. Would collision or comprehensive coverage cover this type of Houston flood??

 

It is not exactly correct. See my post above.

[BecciBoo]

I believe I quantified my statement with "Rising water" so it IS correct.

 

It is also very hard to determine the source of flood waters when it can enter your home from a hole in the roof or from rising water. So water that only got into the home from the roof or windows etc. is covered, rising water is not. Most loses of that nature are subrigated between homeowners and flood, but the vast majority of loses from this event will be classified as rising flood water.

 

Wind damage is a whole other matter....in some locations such as Dallas/Ft Worth, wind damage from high winds and hail has to be purchased as a rider and is not normally covered by simple homeowners policy,....it can get complicated.

Edited August 30, 2017 by BecciBoo

[Cuizer2]

I worked for USAA for over 10 yrs selling flood insurance and what most don't know is that normal home insurance for people not located in FEMA flood zones does not provide any coverage for rising water (flooding caused by a hurricane). You have to specifically purchase flood coverage from FEMA in addition to your homeowners coverage. Most people do not. The only damage from water covered by your homeowners is that done by water that originates from inside the home, such as broken water pipe, leaking plumbing, etc. Water that enters the home from outside it is not covered by any insurance company, only by FEMA coverage.

 

Only those in flood zones with FEMA coverage or those who purchased the coverage by choice will be covered by this event. Most of Houston is not in a flood zone and do not have flood coverage from FEMA. Those on the coast next to the ocean are forced to carry FEMA coverage because they are usually in a COBRA or mandatory flood coverage zone. This flood coverage is not part of an insurance companies coverage and they only sell this coverage for the government...the monies come from FEMA itself.

 

Therefore, most flood damage caused by this storm will not be covered and people can only rely on special low interest loans provided by FEMA and the government to rebuild.

 

The reality is no amount of foresight can prepare people for this kind of event. And hindsight is pretty cheap.:confused:

 

I believe I quantified my statement with "Rising water" so it IS correct.

 

The highlighted statement above is not correct.

[kathy49]

What on earth are you trying to say? I never said it was a vacation. I can tell you that if I had to evacuate and could get a hotel room over a public shelter, I'd be in the hotel room. )In Florida, once you are in that room, they legally can't force you out, even if someone already has the room reserved.)

 

I see no reason for people to be headed into a Federal Disaster area unless they are part of an officially sanctioned disaster rescue/recovery related group. It's downright selfish to be taking valuable resources from victims of what looks to be the worst natural disaster in US history. Anyone who actually believes that RCI will have a cruise ship come into port in Galveston on Friday or before next week for that matter is either living under a rock or lacking common sense.

 

I do think they will get back on Friday and RCL could care less about what happens to the passengers upon arrival.. ..they are going to cruise on Sunday no matter what that cost is to the community in terms of people taking hotels/cars/supplies etc. I do have common sense and know the mentality of this cruise line that they are not going to refund another cruise...simply they are not.

[BecciBoo]

The highlighted statement above is not correct.

 

Yes it is, etc. Did you want to quote the whole coverage declaration....:rolleyes: Rising water was the quantifier.

 

Are you an agent?

 

. Problem solved.

Edited August 30, 2017 by BecciBoo

[Cuizer2]

Comp and collision will cover your car but there are fine prints..you won't be getting the full value, typically 80-90% of what was the value before incident. In addition if car is 10 years or older you will most likely get nothing.

 

As to the people selling cars after this it is very important to do your research on that car. Insurers will not cover any car that has been in flood damage.

 

Water damage to a car falls under the comprehensive coverage - not collision coverage. How much you get back for your car depends on the terms of your coverage. Some policies offer full replacement coverage (meaning replacing the car with a brand new car). Some polices (typically used on collectible cars) have a stated value. Finally we come to the word "value." Insurance companies use the term ACV (actual cash value). That is what the car was worth prior to the loss. It is what it would take to replace the car with a similar car that had the same age, mileage, pre-loss condition, and similar optional equipment. You seem to be using the work value to mean the cost to replace the car with a new car. That is an apples to oranges comparison.

 

Finally, there is no way that you can accurately make a statement about the percentage a person would get. Someone with a car exactly like mine, but with half the mileage (I have over 170,000 miles on a 2010 car) would have receive more than I would. And finally, any car that is street legal and runs has value. If the car is worth less than you deductible, then I would recommend dropping that coverage, as you are paying for nothing.

[tugboat]

I do think they will get back on Friday and RCL could care less about what happens to the passengers upon arrival.. ..they are going to cruise on Sunday no matter what that cost is to the community in terms of people taking hotels/cars/supplies etc. I do have common sense and know the mentality of this cruise line that they are not going to refund another cruise...simply they are not.

 

 

 

What do you base this own?

 

 

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[kathy49]

What do you base this own?

 

 

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Reports coming in from the port indicates situation is getting better...they are sailing very slow and predictions are for better weather as they do and they have a giant $$$$$ motivation to get back there. Cruise lines will do all possible to not have to cancel a cruise (this weeks departure a classic example). The biggest problem this weekend will be passengers getting there and RCL just needs the ship there ready to go and the rest is on the passenger. I foresee more customer service issues coming up with passengers having problems getting to the ship. So "what do I base this on" probably nothing more concrete than information coming out via local news (CNN is looking for drama) and the basic premise of decisions by cruise lines to not lose money!!

[Coopdog08]

Water damage to a car falls under the comprehensive coverage - not collision coverage. How much you get back for your car depends on the terms of your coverage. Some policies offer full replacement coverage (meaning replacing the car with a brand new car). Some polices (typically used on collectible cars) have a stated value. Finally we come to the word "value." Insurance companies use the term ACV (actual cash value). That is what the car was worth prior to the loss. It is what it would take to replace the car with a similar car that had the same age, mileage, pre-loss condition, and similar optional equipment. You seem to be using the work value to mean the cost to replace the car with a new car. That is an apples to oranges comparison.

 

Finally, there is no way that you can accurately make a statement about the percentage a person would get. Someone with a car exactly like mine, but with half the mileage (I have over 170,000 miles on a 2010 car) would have receive more than I would. And finally, any car that is street legal and runs has value. If the car is worth less than you deductible, then I would recommend dropping that coverage, as you are paying for nothing.

Hence why I used the words fine print and typically...everyone's situation is different when it comes to insurance as there is no one size fits all scenario. Father in law was a claims adjuster and has been to many weather disasters to process claims. Wife is a manager in insurance industry. While I don't have there in depth knowledge and technical expertise I can answer the basic questions.

[tugboat]

What on earth are you trying to say? I never said it was a vacation. I can tell you that if I had to evacuate and could get a hotel room over a public shelter, I'd be in the hotel room. )In Florida, once you are in that room, they legally can't force you out, even if someone already has the room reserved.)

 

 

 

I see no reason for people to be headed into a Federal Disaster area unless they are part of an officially sanctioned disaster rescue/recovery related group. It's downright selfish to be taking valuable resources from victims of what looks to be the worst natural disaster in US history. Anyone who actually believes that RCI will have a cruise ship come into port in Galveston on Friday or before next week for that matter is either living under a rock or lacking common sense.

 

 

 

What I am trying to say is you don't know what your talking about. Where are you getting your information?

 

 

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[Cuizer2]

Yes it is, etc. Did you want to quote the whole coverage declaration....:rolleyes: Rising water was the quantifier.

 

Are you an agent?

 

I should never have unblocked you.....I forgot how you delight in starting trouble. Problem solved.

 

No, I am a claims adjuster with over 30 years of experience. I started out handling first party (comp and collision coverage) for automobiles. I had to do the market research to determine the value of the car if it was a total loss. I was on the cat team that went to NJ for tropical storm Floyd. I paid for any damage that could have been caused by rain entering the house before it hit the ground and became flood water.

 

I've handled death claims (not life insurance death claim - automobile accident death claims) $1,000,000 claims, bad faith claims including a claim for $10 billion against the insurance company (we defense that one), currently 98% of my claims are in litigation. My job now is to analyze the allegations, compare it to the coverages provided by the policy (these are commercial general liability policies with liability limits of $1,000,000 plus) and determine if there is, or is not coverage. I write the coverage letter (whether there is coverage, partial coverage, or no coverage). In short, it is my job to determine coverage. I have been doing coverage work for over 25 years. My coverage decisions have been fully supported EVERY time someone challenged them. I know what I am doing when I analyze coverage. It is my job to analyze coverage.

 

If you had made the same statement you made here as a claims adjuster in California, you would have misrepresented the coverage and possibly caused your company to become involved in a bad faith claim.

[ducklite]

Yes, as I believe Ducklight said, your comp coverage should pay off with flood damage. But don't expect total compensation. They can get pretty chinchy with value. GAP coverage has to be purchased in the case of an upside down note on any vehicle, or you may find yourself coming up short on the payoff.

 

I can't take credit for it. Comprehensive--not collision--would cover the claim on flooding of a vehicle. They will typically offer around the KBB dealer trade-in value for a vehicle in good or fair condition. If you feel the offer is completely low ball, you can hire a public adjuster to advocate for you, but in the case of a car with rare exception it's not going to get you a whole lot more. Of course if your car is three years old with 12,000 miles on it because it sits in the garage all the time while you take the bus to work, you'll have a good probability of fighting a low ball payout.

 

Keep in mind that insurance typically won't cover any (non-dealer) mods added to the car. I knew a guy who lifted his truck, put muddin' tires on it, all sorts of chrome, etc. and in the end he got the value of the truck as it had been bought originally--a fraction of what he put into it. If you have any extensive mods to your vehicle, talk to your agent about specialty coverages.

[ducklite]

What I am trying to say is you don't know what your talking about. Where are you getting your information?

 

 

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What specifically do I not know what I'm talking about?

[spleenstomper]

Galveston looks good this morning, just a few puddles in front of the terminal

 

 

Life goes on, there are people who are looking forward to a cruise next weekend. I don't see anything wrong with that. Hoping the infrastructure can be ready is just human....people shouldn't be criticised for wanting to continue with their lives. We all hate what has happened and sympathise with the victims and that includes last weekends cruisers, but reality is, some of us are not affected by this catastrophy. Just give what you can to orgs like Red Cross or Simaritan's Purse, etc. Really the only way we can help out.

 

Um, well. There is still standing water. There is no infrastructure. The hotels are booked and the airport is closed. My 8 ball says "ask again later"

[Coopdog08]

I've now looked at 30 or 40 webcams at TXDOT and all of them are passable, just a couple where you can still see water over the access rd, but the highways themselves are totally clear and traffic ongoing. Amazing how quickly things change...It looks like to me things will be pretty much back to normal for the path to Galveston next Sat/Sun.

 

TRAFFIC STATUS AT THE HOUSTON AIRPORTS update 22 minutes ago

 

Roadways and traffic may be affected this weekend due to severe weather from Hurricane Harvey.

UPDATED 8/30/2017 at 8 a.m.

 

IAH - All lanes of JFK are open ; Will Clayton Pkwy all lanes open up to McKay; HPD on scene blocking the road to prevent continued passage on Will Clayton at McKay, but allowing passage on to US 59 south-bound

HOU - Telephone Rd is clear N and S bound to I-45. Telephone is clear N and S bound to Almeda Genoa. Braniff is open from Telephone to Monroe. Airport-Monroe Intersection is closed due to high water. Airport to I-45 is open and I-45 is accessible. Broadway is clear N and S bound to I-45.

I would caution using the word "normal" as things along the path to Galveston will not be "normal" for several weeks. Below are a few things of what normal is along the path which you will not see this weekend.

All gas stations open

All restraunts open

All People living in there houses with water, electricity and no water in there yards.

 

Will the major roads be accessible, yes, but far from "normal".