Wisconsin flood insurance; property destroyed from historic floods
Wisconsin flood insurance; property destroyed from historic floods
With historic flooding devastating southeastern Wisconsin, many homeowners are asking whether insurance will cover the damage.
WEST ALLIS, Wis. - With historic flooding devastating southeastern Wisconsin, homeowners are asking whether insurance will cover the damage. Likewise, will the Federal Emergency Management Agency also help?
What we know:
Across the region, powerful weekend storms dumped inches of rain, leaving homes and property severely damaged. In West Allis, residents are filling dumpster after dumpster with belongings destroyed in the flood.
Cindy Mauch, a Muskego homeowner of 12 years, said floodwaters surrounded her house "like an island," eventually caving in her basement foundation wall. She received a rough estimate of $50,000 to repair it.
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"Trying to read my policy is like, I need an attorney that understands what it all tells me," Mauch said. "I have 83 pages on my policy, so I don't know what that's telling me."
Dig deeper:
Attorney Justin Wallace, who spent years working for insurance companies before representing clients against them, said his first recommendation is to file a claim immediately.
"You will never get paid unless you make a claim," Wallace said, noting Wisconsin generally has a one-year statute of limitations on filing lawsuits against insurers for this type of damage.
"There are insurance companies out there that will string you along until day 366," added Wallace.
Whether one will have this flooding covered depends on how the water entered the property. For example, if it was a sewer and drain backup, that could be covered with a sewer backup addition. Likewise, flooding could be covered by separate flood insurance.
"It's not like they're being necessarily jerks, this is just one of the things that generally isn't covered; water damage isn't covered," Wallace said. "While water damage itself is often not covered. There's a concept in the insurance policy of what's called an ensuing loss, which means that, say the water caused an explosion, for example, of something on your property. Even though the insurance probably doesn't cover the water damage itself, it may cover an ensuing loss that was caused by the water damage."
By the numbers:
Southeast Wisconsin historic flooding; West Allis cleanup underway
Cleanup is underway in West Allis after floodwaters damaged homes and destroyed belongings across the city over the weekend.
Federal data shows that in 2023, only 8,436 single-family homes in Wisconsin had coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program, with most paying less than $1,000 annually.
As for federal assistance, FEMA said Tuesday it is not currently on the ground in Wisconsin but is "closely monitoring" the situation. An agency spokesperson said it has not yet received requests for federal help.
In 2008, President George W. Bush declared a flooding disaster in Wisconsin. According to state records, 24,000 residents received FEMA assistance then, with the average payout totaling less than $4,000.
What's next:
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"I really encourage everybody: make a claim, and let the insurance company tell you, if they're not going to pay you, why," Wallace said.
Mauch’s claims adjuster is expected to inspect her property on Wednesday.
"I feel like I'm still living in this little nightmare, and I need to wake up," Mauch said.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.