Local insurance companies busy with calls after ice storm

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Feb. 2 was the first day back in the office for several businesses around Sikeston. And insurance companies had a busy day, as they were slammed with questions concerning coverage for problems brought about by last week's winter storms.

Jeremy Anderson, owner of Anderson Green Insurance, said most insurance agencies like his were also out of power and without phone lines, so Feb. 2 was the first big day of business.

"And we've just been insanely busy," he said.

"It's terrible," said Matt Winchester, an agent with the Farm Bureau office in Sikeston. "We've gotten a lot of phone calls this morning on what's covered and what's not."

Mackenzie Scherer, agent at Scherer Shelter Insurance in Sikeston, agreed. Since the outages, she said she has received about 50 calls. "And I really wish it were a lot lower," she said. "We've had a lot of trees through homes, a lot of fences down and debris removal, but most are concerned with trees through roofs."

It's pretty simple to determine whether homeowners' insurance can apply to helping pay for damage.

"Homeowners' insurance is triggered by damage to a home," said Rob Mitchell, president of Mitchell Insurance in Sikeston. "But all of those things apply to the deductible."

All the agents said they've fielded several questions regarding debris removal and coverage. "If it hits something, it's covered, but if it's just laying in your yard, it's not," Winchester said.

The most important thing someone can do right now is call in their claim and talk to an adjustor.

"All companies are different and all claims are different," Scherer said. "The claims adjustor is really there to be the right-hand man."

For the most part, it's OK for people to start cleaning up, so long as they document damage.

"Just take pictures and get itemized receipts," Mitchell said.

There have also been several inquiries regarding food spoilage, Winchester said. "It's covered -- at least under our policy," he said.

Mitchell said some homeowners' insurance plans also have limited coverage for spoilage.

In those cases, photos typically aren't required. People should just make an itemized list of all the food spoiled while they are throwing it away, he said.

In almost 40 years working in the insurance business in Sikeston, Mitchell said this is the most extreme damage he's seen. The only thing that comes close was a tornado that damaged the southeast end of town in the mid-1980s. "But it was nothing as widespread as this," he said.

One thing people can do -- even if they weren't as affected as others by the damage -- is review their policies, suggested Mike Right, vice president of public affairs for AAA Missouri. "It's a good time to educate yourself on what coverage you have, don't have or may be interested in," he said.

Individuals should look into what their deductibles are and also update any information, for instance, their home's value.

Another piece of advice Right has is to inventory what's in a home so they'll know what needs to be replaced in case of a disaster. "A great way to do that is to use a video camera," he said.