Harvey devastates homeowners without insurance
The toddler's life was turned upside down when Hurricane Harvey sent a tree crashing onto her family's three-bedroom trailer in
"It's hard because you look at your kids and you don't have a home for them," said the little girl's mother,
Andrade, 27, doesn't know what her family will do next. She didn't have home insurance and doesn't have the resources to start a new life without financial help.
She isn't the only one.
So far, the
Now, homeowners with inadequate or no insurance will have to rely on charities and
"People have this misconception that
But the money won't cover the cost to rebuild an entire home.
"
Government officials are working to create programs aimed at helping residents make more permanent repairs, but the details are still being worked out.
Until then,
The volunteer, who works with the Mennonite Disaster Service, said only half of the homeowners he helped had home insurance.
"I've not been in a community where this high of a percentage of residents are in poverty," Dube said.
There are no grocery stores or banks in the rural town, where many of the homes were passed from generation to generation. In some cases, mortgages were paid off decades ago, which meant lenders didn't require homeowners to keep insurance.
"Homeowners insurance is not on the top of the list compared to food or gasoline or medicine," Dube said.
In all of
"In their own mind, people say, 'It's not going to happen to me,' so they don't take the steps that are necessary," said Worters, whose agency's mission is to educate people about insurance.
Worters said all homeowners should purchase regular home insurance, but it's also a good idea to buy flood insurance -- even if homes aren't in flood-prone areas.
General home insurance covers wind damage but not flooding. Homeowners must buy additional flood plans, which are run by the National Flood Insurance Program but are sold by private insurance agents.
Depending on where a home is located, flood insurance costs annually anywhere from
"Do you want to make yourself whole again?" asked Worters. "This is one way of doing that."
But for some
After walls collapsed and water soaked Andrade's trailer, she is focused on saving what she can that wasn't ruined by the Category 4 storm. She can't replace clothing or household goods with donations because she has nowhere to store new belongings.
With less than a week until hotel vouchers from
Now, Andrade is just trying to work all the hours she can to save up enough money to put a down payment on another trailer house.
"I live paycheck to paycheck," Andrade said. "I don't have money to spare to start something new."
Related coverage
Day 1: Here comes Harvey
Day 2: Brace yourself
Day 3: 'Prayers protect us'
Day 4: 'We thought we were going to die'
Day 5: 'At least God let us live'
Day 6: 'It's the luck of the draw'
Day 7: 'Everybody will pull together'
Day 8:
Day 9:
Day 10: The Long Road Ahead (w/video)
Day 11: Residents rely on families to rebuild
Day 12: For some, normal still far away
Day 13: Church offers refuge for devastated town
Day 14: Victims find hardship, opportunity (w/video)
Day 15:
Day 16: Displaced and in disarray
Day 17: Disaster for humans means catastrophe for pets
Day 18: Nature interrupted (w/video)
Day 19: 'It was like we had been bombed'
Day 20: Students returning to school feel weight of Harvey
Day 21:
Day 22: Ranching structures, cotton mostly damaged by Harvey
Day 23:
Day 24: Refugio: 'We're trying to get back to normal'
Day 25: Nonprofit leaves people lost after Harvey
Day 26: 'We are human beings like everyone else'
Day 27: Refugio schools find way to reopen
Day 28:
Day 29: Methodist church serves those in need after hurricane
Day 30: Scientists measure damage to endangered species' habitat (w/video)
Day 31: Medical community feels impact of Harvey
Day 32: Harvey's speed leaves many in harm's way
Day 33: After Harvey,
Day 34:
Day 35: School districts share issues with state, US senator
Day 36: VISD students observe See You at the Pole
Day 37: Expectant family struggles after Harvey (w/video)
Day 38:
Day 39: Housing options slim for displaced families
Day 40: SBA approves more than
Day 41: Hunger greater in
Day 42: 'Harvey broke me'
Day 44:
Day 45: Mother recalls 'scary' birth during Harvey
Helpful information
Where to get water, gas and other supplies
Helpful information after the storm
Updates on city services
Additional coverage
Enhanced shelters offer alternative to evacuation
Relief supplies arrive for community through church
Time to build affordable housing
Hurricane Harvey affected everyone
___
(c)2017 Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas)
Visit Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas) at www.victoriaadvocate.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News