This argument has never gone anywhere. The damage that is wind will be paid by a policy that covers that peril and flood from a flood policy (if they had one at all). Never the twain shall meet, no matter how many engineers and lawyers conjure up some other kind of explanation.
Satellite photos before and after a major hurricane clearly show the margins of areas totally destroyed by storm surge. The argument that the “wind destroyed the structure before the waves hit” can easily be thwarted by evidence of intact structures at the edge of the surge.
Sounds like USAA didn’t conduct a thorough assessment and jumped to the ‘excluded by storm surge’ first. Katrina uncovered many companies that failed to conduct a thorough assessment of the claims. This reminds me of the Dr. Wesley McFarland v State Farm case. Initial engineering reports showed it was a wind loss, and the house was gone before the surge arrived. Rather than pay, the company denied the claims and fudged the engineering reports. Tons of lawsuits!
This argument has never gone anywhere. The damage that is wind will be paid by a policy that covers that peril and flood from a flood policy (if they had one at all). Never the twain shall meet, no matter how many engineers and lawyers conjure up some other kind of explanation.
Satellite photos before and after a major hurricane clearly show the margins of areas totally destroyed by storm surge. The argument that the “wind destroyed the structure before the waves hit” can easily be thwarted by evidence of intact structures at the edge of the surge.
Sounds like USAA didn’t conduct a thorough assessment and jumped to the ‘excluded by storm surge’ first. Katrina uncovered many companies that failed to conduct a thorough assessment of the claims. This reminds me of the Dr. Wesley McFarland v State Farm case. Initial engineering reports showed it was a wind loss, and the house was gone before the surge arrived. Rather than pay, the company denied the claims and fudged the engineering reports. Tons of lawsuits!