June 23, 2023 – Two rounds of severe weather swept across Colorado Wednesday overnight and again Thursday downing trees, battering cars and homes, and causing flooding from the West and South Metro areas to Southern Colorado and the Eastern plains. Communities are cleaning up from tornadoes, large hail, and heavy downpours, and one of residents’ first calls this morning should be to their insurance professionals to report any damage and file a claim.

"It’s important to understand how your insurance works, for example whose insurance covers my neighbor’s tree falling on my roof or my car," says Carole Walker, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Association. "Unless your neighbor was negligent in not removing a dangerous tree, it’s likely your insurance in both cases. These days insurers have many options to help you navigate the claims process from online apps to 24-hour claims lines to working through your agent. In any major catastrophe events companies also dedicate additional claims resources." 

If you have damage from this week’s storms, contact your insurance agent or company representative immediately to report damage resulting from the storm. 

RMIA recommends documenting damage to provide to your insurance carriers and do temporary repairs to prevent further storm damage. Hold on to repair receipts as they are likely reimbursable if you file a claim.  

How to file an auto claim: 

Hail, wind, fire, or flood damage to vehicles is covered if you carry comprehensive insurance on your auto policy. 

How to file a property claim:  

Homeowners insurance covers damage from hail, fire, and wind. Property damage resulting from rising water is covered by a separate flood insurance policy. 

Selecting a Reputable Contractor & Avoiding Roofing Scams:

Every big storm brings with it unscrupulous contractors who often go door-to-door attempting to get victims to let them repair their roofs or other hail damage. These fraudsters will often make false promises, insist on full payment upfront before work is completed, and sometimes even create damage where none occurred. Coordinate with your insurance company in hiring a contractor to make sure you understand your settlement amount and are working with a reputable company.

Download RMIA & National Insurance Crime Bureau Hail Fraud Guide 

For more consumer information on insurance topics, logon to www.rmiia.org.

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