EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Two days after heavy rainfall flooded the homes of several residents in a Northeast El Paso neighborhood on Palomino Street, one family is now unsure their flood insurance policy will cover the cost of the damages.
“My home insurance did take the payment. They did send it to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). But I don’t know what the issue is between them. It seems there was some missing information. I don’t know for sure, but I’ve been told that it is most likely that we will not be paid for it this time,” said Ana Perez, a resident on Palomino Street in Northeast El Paso.
Perez said her homeowner’s insurance helped her purchase a flood insurance policy under FEMA on May 3 this year.
She said her mortgage required having a flood insurance policy until last year, when they dropped the policy after being notified by FEMA and the City of El Paso that the area where she lives was no longer considered a high-risk flood zone.
“Last year, the City and FEMA communicated to all of us — me and my neighbors — that this zone was not considered a flood zone anymore,” Perez said.
Perez said this is the fourth time her home has been flooded in just four years due what she calls poor drainage in her neighborhood. She said every recovery process has been difficult, but expects this time to be more challenging if they are not covered by their insurance.
“I don’t have the energy anymore. I feel like I don’t like my house anymore,” Perez said.
Perez said the flooding permanently damaged all of the furniture and electronic appliances in the first floor of her house. However, she said it is too risky to try and start replacing everything, and said they will instead purchase bare-bones appliances for several months.
“We cannot afford to buy everything new now, but even if we could, we don’t want to buy anything new because that rainy season just started,” Perez said.
Officials with FEMA warn that the damages caused by flash floods are not always covered by home insurance.
“It is very important that homeowners understand that standard homeowner’s insurance will not cover water coming from outside of the home. If a pipe breaks during a freeze or something like that, yes, they will cover that, but not when it’s our definition of flooding — which is when two or more acres of normally dry land spent a day with water, or two or more structures, one of which is a policyholder structure,” said Gilbert Giron, a regional flood insurance liaison for FEMA.
Residents in the City of El Paso can be eligible to purchase flood insurance coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program managed by FEMA.
The program is only available to property owners, renters, and businesses that reside in one of 22,600 participating communities.
Giron said there are separate policies to cover damages to the building and to people’s personal belongings.
“Now imagine putting your home in the palm of your hand, turning it upside down and shaking it. Everything that falls out of it is going to be your content, and that can be pretty substantial to replace, even with just 1 inch of water,” Giron said.
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