OF PEOPLE WHO SAY THEIR HOME
OWNERS INSURANCE WILL
NOT COVER DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE
RECORD RAIN STORMS.
BO:
SOME ESTIMATE THAT REPAIRING
DAMAGE TO THEIR HOMES WILL COST
TEN TO TWENTY THOUSAND
DOLLARS.
WE MET WITH THREE PEOPLE, THEY
WERE TOLD THE SAME STORY.
THAT IS, SINCE THEY DIDN'T HAVE
FLOOD INSURANCE, DAMAGE TO THEIR
PROPERTY CAUSED BY RISING WATER
FROM LAST MONTH'S HISTORIC
RAINFALL IS NOT COVERED.
WE WANTED TO KNOW WHY.
IN NORTH KNOX COUNTY, CHRIS
DAVIS AND HIS GOOD FRIEND
MOVED SANDBAGS TO THE FRONT OF
CREATED BY RECORD RAINFALL LAST
MONTH. ON FEB 23 AND 24TH
WATER FILLED HIS FRONT YARD AND
THE STREET IN FRONT OF HIS
HOME.
CHRIS DAVIS, KNOX COUNTY
RESIDENT:THE WATER KEPT
RISING ON THE HOUSE AND BY
SUNDAY AT NOON THE WATER HAD
REACHED OUR PORCHES. WE NEVER
THOUGHT THE
WATER WOULD EVER COME BEYOND THE
AIR CONDITIONING
SYSTEMS.
CHRIS DAVIS' NGHBOR IS TERRY
MAY.
TERRY MAY: THERE'S A HILL HERE,
IT'S PBABLY 30 FOOT
FROM THAT TREE BACK THERE, IT'S
JUST A MESS. OUR HEAT
AND AIR UNIT ON THE OTHER SIDE
HAS BEEN UNDERWATER.
THIS IS OUR NEIGHBOR'S HEAT AND
AIR, IT'S BEEN UNDER
WATER.
HIS GARAGE HAS DRIED OUT, BUT
BOTH RECEIVED THE SAME ANSWER
SHORTLY AFTER CALLING THEIR
INSURANCE COMPANIES AND FILING A
DAMAGE CLAIM.
CHRIS DAVIS: THAT INITIAL PHONE
CALL WAS JUST FIVE MINUTES LONG,
THEY ESSENTIALLY SAID, YOU DON'T
HAVE FLOOD INSURANCE, YOU DON'T
LIVE IN A FLOOD PLAIN,
SORRY.
TERRY MAY: BECAUSE IT'S A FLOOD
AND WE DON'T HAVE
FLOOD INSURANCE. WE TRIED TO BUY
FLOOD INSURANCE.
THEY DIDN'T SELL US FLOOD
INSURANCE.
FOR 30 YEARS, BEN JOHNSON HAS
BEEN
HE IS NOT CHRIS OR TERRY'S
INSURANCE REPRESENTATIVE.
HE SHOWED US A TYPICAL
HOMEOWNER'S INSURANCE POLICY
AND THE EXCLUSIONS LISTED ON
THAT POLICY. AT THE TOP OF THE
LIST IS THE WORD FLOOD, LISTEN
TO WHAT IT MEANS.
BEN JOHNSON, INDEPENDENT
INSURANCE AGENT: IT'S
ACTUALLY WHEN THERE IS A LITERAL
FLOOD OUTSIDE YOUR
HOME. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU OPEN YOUR
FRONT DOOR AND IT LOOKS LIKE
THERE IS A LAKE IN YOUR FRONT
YARD. BASICALLY,
THAT LAKE COMING INTO YOUR HOME
WOULD BE DEEMED AS A
FLOOD. THAT'S WHEN FLOOD
INSURANCE COULD AND WOULD
MORE LIKELY TAKE CARE OF THAT
ISSUE.
THIS IS VIDEO SHOT INSIDE GINI
ENTIRE LOWER LEVEL.
GINI THRASHER, POWELL RESIDENT:
IT WAS COMING IN
THIS SIDE, THIS SIDE, THE
CLOSET, BEDROOM, BATHROOM.
MRS. THRASHER OWES A SPLIT LEVEL
HOME AND HALF OF THE LOWER FLOOR
IS BELOW GROUND LEVEL. EARLY
LAST
WEEK, MRS. THRASHER FILED AN
INSURANCE CLAIM.
GINI: THEY TOLD ME THEY WENT
AHEAD AND TOOK THE CLAIM
THERE WAS NO FLOODING AROUND
GINI'S HOME AS WE SAW WITH CHRIS
AND TERRY.
BUT THERE IS THIS WATER DAMAGE
EXCLUSION ON A TYPICAL
HOMEOWNER'S POLICY. IT SAYS:
"WATER DAMAGE MEANS WATER
BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND
THAT SEEPS OR LEAKS
FOR HOME OWNERS WITHOUT FLOOD
INSURANCE, WHOSE HOMES WERE
DAMAGED, THEY'LL HAVE TO PAY FOR
REPAIRS OUT OF THEIR OWN
POCKETS.
DON:
IF YOU LIVE IN A HIGH FLOOD
ZONE,
TYPICALLY YOUR LENDER, YOUR LOAN
COMPANY, WILL REQUIRE
YOU TO HAVE FLOOD INSURANCE. BUT
ANY HOMEOWNER CAN
A YEAR.
BUT THAT SAME PRICED HOME IN A
HIGH RISK FLOOD ZONE, THE COST
CAN BE AS HIGH AS 2-THOUSAND
DOLLARS A YEAR.
THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
AGENCY HAS A
WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN FIND A
FLOOD MAP, AND SEE FOR YOURSELF
WHERE FLOOD RISK ZONES ARE
LOCATED. THAT WEBSITE IS AT
FEMA
DOT GOV.
THE MAP, PRODUCED BY THE
NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE
PROGRAM, LISTS THE INSURANCE
RATE MAP AND ZONES, SHOWING
HIGH RISK AND LOW RISK AREAS.
KRISTIN AND BO
IF YOU HAVE A CONSUMER QUESTION
FOR DON -- SEND HIM AN EMAIL AT
SIGN A LAW TO LET GUNOWNERS
CARRY AND CONCEAL WITHOUT A
PERMIT.
BO:
WHY THIS CONTROVERSIAL BILL - IS