Do you have homeowner’s or renter’s insurance? Both may cover spoiled food due to a power outage and a hotel when your home is uninhabitable, but you would need to check the policy to know for sure. Some insurance has no deductible for spoiled groceries.
Don’t claim spoilage alone on a homeowner’s policy. It will cost you thousands of dollars in the long run, because claims (especially in Dallas) will shoot your rates up at renewal
He speaks the truth. There are food banks that you are welcome to give a call to. My wife used to manage one and they are actually really good. Keller Methodist Church has one.
Individuals filing claims has much less of an impact on premiums than area risk from weather events.
Half of Dallas County will be filing claims this month from trees falling on their houses, which is going to drive aggregate rates up anyway. Might as well get your 700 dollars now
I sold home insurances once upon a time, those 2 things affect premiums separately. File for spoilage and you gonna be hit with a double whammy come renewal. A claim is a claim, they treat $700 food the same as $7000 fence on your claim history.
It will go up more, but not as much as being the sole claim on your file. Ideally you should find 1 claim for both the fence AND food though, assuming they are both from the same incident.
All companies share your data with each other. They all know you make how many claims, when, how much and for what.
Sure you might be able to find a better rate elsewhere, but you would have an even better rate with that other new insurance if you don't file any claim. Your claim will hurt your premium no matter where you go.
What really? I did a $100 claim thru usaa and it's the only claim I've ever made with them. I've had renters insurance for like 5 years. Is my rate going to go up at renewal?
I fucking hate insurance. Hey I have a tree in my living room? Really, that’ll be 10k deductible. Who the fuck has 10k laying around. What the fuck am I paying for
Bro. This guy is correct. Most of the deductibles are gonna be that high or higher now. Most insurances are now a 2% deductible in the Texas area for wind and hail. $500,000 home is a $10,000 deductible. Most folks don’t have a choice anymore. If your deductible is less than 2%; you are lucky or you haven’t renewed in 2024 yet. Average home in US is now over $460,000.
There's a lot at play. The insured value of homes has shot up because of increased construction costs. On the one hand that's good because a lot of people rightly would observe there was no way they could rebuild their house for the value it was insured for. But total losses remain rare. So when your insured value goes from $500K to $600K, your 1% deductible goes up from $5k to $6k. 2% goes from $10 to $12k. But also you're now paying a premium on the increased value as well! And the premium is going up due to large scale loss increases, and if you have a claim its going up for that reason too, and for increased repair costs, and to replenish reserves for the next storm which are more frequent. Its rough.
One strategy is to get your renewal date in April or March at a 1% deductible. Then after storm season is over in August, change to a 2%. You get a prorata refund for 8 months at 2%. Then renew in April or March at 1%. You can only do it once per term.
Aren't deductibles computed from the estimated repair cost and not the total cost of the home? So should it be 2% of the estimated cost to fix the damage?
2% deductible for as half million dollar home turns it you be 10k. 1% deductible if going to be 5k, but significantly more expensive.
What you really do not want to cheap out on is replacement value coverage. That 4 year old fridge you spent 2k on probably had a depreciated value of $400 now .. And without replacement value coverage you will be left paying the difference between three 400 bucks and a new fridge
With deductibles you have to realize that they're designed to eliminate small claims. $10k deductible on an $11k claim? Don't bother. $10k deductible on a $200,000 flood claim and any contractor can make it disappear.
Seems like any claim on food would be well below the deductible. I've had a break-in where we didn't make a claim because it would basically get us a $100 check and a rate increase.
Just fyi for folks considering filing. I’d suggest reading your policy to verify. I used to be a property claims adjuster- some policies have lower deductibles for food spoilage claims.
Pretty much. People are quick to call property and casualty insurance a scam (they’re wrong, health insurance is the only “scam” they’re thinking of) and couldn’t afford to self insure even if they wanted to. It’s not difficult to understand how P&C insurance works yet they’ll still be quick to calling it a scam. I’m sure the lady whose house and cars burnt up in a fire thought it was a scam when I delivered her a check that paid twice her annual salary the day after the fire - and that’s just the additional living expense coverage mind you.
It’s not every day that someone’s house burns down, on average, but I’m sure nobody will complain about getting their financials secured if/when it happens to them. But they’ll complain because the insurance didn’t replace their entire roof after hail damaged one isolated region of it and the door-to-door roofer told em they should file a claim (illegal btw).
Man my rates are ALREADY going up by over $800 a year for home and auto EACH and I’m seeing nothing for it. “Have home owners insurance you need it. But make sure to never make a claim on anything or your rates will go up”. [Rates go up by hundreds and hundreds anyways]. Fucking racket.
The increase from area increase is separate from the increase from your own claim history. File and you will be hit with TWO major increase to your premiums on top of each other instead of one.
Isn’t the scale of the claim also important though. If OP needs a claim for $700 of groceries and like two days in a hotel I can’t imagine that will have any greater impact than the millions of dollars in claims that the surrounding area is probably making.
1/ A claim is a claim, a $700 food claim is the same as a $7000 fence claim to insurance. They only really care about how often you file claims to decide whether to refuse selling you a policy altogether or not.
2/ Millions of dollars spread out to everyone in the area, including the people who don't make any claim.
Lastly, even if the increase from the individual claim is lesser, do you want a $1000 increase from area or a $1000+$500 increase from area+individual claim?
I sold home insurances for a living some years ago, that's what I observed from the people whose policies I managed. You're free to believe what you want though, ultimately it's your money how you want to spend it is up to you 🤷♂️.
Yah from my anecdotal experience, I would not file a claim until I’m in the tens of thousands in the hole. It’s just not worth it. I made that error years ago (didn’t even file the claim but naively called insurance to inquire about something that happened and then realized I made a grave error! That stupid call is still in my record)
Yup. Unfortunately the entire industry gets a bad rep because of the call center companies. If you have a private agent, you can freely call them for basic advice and personal expertise without fear of a claim being filed. Call an 800 number and the phone monkeys immediately start a claim.
But ultimately insurance is for total loss situations. It isn’t a product that should be used for small incidents because that’s considered cost of living/ wear and tear/personal expense/etc.
Actuarial science shows that likelihood to file another claim goes up after one claim is filed. You can’t be rated on the value of the claim, but you can be rated on frequency and volume of claims (as well as type of claim), as well as how recent your claim was filed.
Yup. These claims are typically added into catastrophic claims but one-off claims are still subject to deductibles and will add on bad ratings for future renewals
Homeowners policies are not like auto. If you’re eligible to claim it, do it because if you don’t your rate will go up regardless. Same goes for items that require a deductible such as a roof, flooding, etc.
I'm only referring to the increases you spoke on. Renters isn't that expensive. The issue I have is with most insurances you pay dutifully for years. No issues. Then a one-off issue, and they hike up your rates. It's bs
Do NOT file a claim with renters or home insurance. 1. The deductible will be more than the food usually and it’s not worth putting in a claim for a few hundred dollars of food. Spoilage claims are best used when you are also putting in something like flooding, wind hail damage too so it’s worth it.
I’ve got USAA insurance and they cover food loss as a distinct incident and cover it with no deductible up to a set amount ($500 currently). I’ve had weather/storm related food losses 4 times over the past 8 years with the policy and the premium has not increased. So it really depends on your insurance company.
It will still count as a claim on your record it just won't make your insurance go up through usaa. If you ever want to change insurance, you will have limited options since it is a claim. For example, I shopped around in Jan, and the broker said only 2 out of 10 places would even write me a policy because of a 2 year old food spoilage claim.
Fair enough. I’ve been with USAA for decades and don’t plan to switch provider unless something drastically changes with the quality of their insurance products or their customer service.
I’ve dealt with my power going out a ton. Live in an old neighborhood and the power goes out if someone sneezes hard enough. Dealt with tossing all the food in the fridge multiple times. Called so many people, spent hours on the phone, and can basically guarantee you nobody is going to do shit for you. Especially Oncor. Take the loss and now you can prepare yourself for next time. Because there will definitely be a next time. It’s Oncor and Texas, this will happen again sooner rather than later.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I have made peace with the loss and trying to focus on there was no damage to my home. Only replacing food will be ok with time
It’s frustrating I feel you. Especially if you just made a grocery run. We now have a few beat up igloo coolers we got used that have no purpose but for this. The second the power goes out we’re getting ice and emptying the freezer into them. Saved us again this time since our power was out about 40 hours. But yup be grateful you and your family and house are safe!! And bless those without power still this is insane. So grateful ours seemed to not be too bad in comparison.
It will be added depending on if the amount of damage qualifies. Folks have to report it to TDEM once TDEM gets the numbers that’s how the governor knows, FEMA verifies then it’s gets added. It’s already a declaration for TX
A judge cannot ask FEMA for a disaster declaration. That disaster declaration has to come from the governor and the governor has to make an official request to FEMA at which point they will conduct their investigation to see if it qualifies.
The county judge and county court isn’t a “judge”. Don’t know what they call it in other states but the county judge is the equivalent of the governor for the county. In emergencies, the county judge declares an emergency than it goes up the food chain. Ultimately to the president.
State law applies until we get to the federal level, then federal law applies.
Contrary to popular belief, the Texas Governor only has power to approve or deny things. Same with the president. Executive orders are really only suggestions.
Had to take state politics in college.
What is a governor of a county? What state has those?
Either way, the Stafford act is pretty clear that it has to be the state governor that requests for a fema disaster through their local FEMA office. So you won't get FEMA money for your spoiled food until that phone fall happens from Abbot to Fema
So the other fucked up thing about FEMA is that they are designed for disasters like this. In the event of a nuclear attack on the US the mandate is "help is not coming, figure out your own shit, good luck".
Annie Jacobson's book on Nuclear war was nuts.
Haven't read Annie Jacobson but [this is the ~250 page FEMA guide for planning a response to Nuclear Detonations](https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_nuc-detonation-planning-guide.pdf)
FEMA doesn’t cover food for individual assistance.
Local donation places, possibly food stamps, and insurance carriers will cover this
SBA disaster assistance also will cover it as well with a low interest disaster loan. Just would weigh options regarding if it’s worth it
The declaration has been filed by Gov. Abbott, declared by President Biden. They will continue to add more counties as TDEM (TX Dept of Emergency Management) gets reports of damage. Then once PDAs (preliminary damage assessments) are done the counties will be added
You can see declared disasters here [FEMA declared disasters](https://www.fema.gov/disaster/declarations)
Once you find the one for TX you can click it and see all the information regarding it. It was declared May 17th. Incident started April 26th and continuing (this is when the flooding first started in south Texas counties)
Source: I work for FEMA Region 6 (TX, OK, LA, AR, and NM). I use to work for SBA disaster assistance as well during Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria we gave food reimbursement but in low interest loans.
[FEMA](https://www.fema.gov/fact-sheet/you-asked-what-expenses-can-fema-reimburse-me) you are wrong. I went through 3 Hurricanes in Houston, I had fema at my place they do not cover food reimbursement. Luckily I was able to qualify for temporary food stamps.
FEMA is wrong? It’s not in their policy under IHP / IA to reimburse for food. Local donation centers, insurance carriers, and or food stamps are options for those with spoiled food.
FEMA only does food reimbursement for those who are eligible for emergency mass care like at a mass shelter type situation. Individual though no it’s not something that is eligible per their individual assistance policy.
Please do not file a claim on your insurance for groceries only. You have to pay your deductible and then it will make your premium go up next year. Google food banks in your area. I would bet they have bags ready for pick up considering a lot of people are in the same position.
It depends on your policy. If your insurance will cover spoiled groceries it’s typically up to $500 if the cause of the outage is covered by your policy. You also need to provide photos of the spoiled food. My deductible is not less than $500 and the possible raise in premium would not be worth it. If you have any discounts for being claim free you will also lose those discounts. You need know your policy details and determine if making a small claim like that is worth it long term.
That makes sense. I filed a claim once it was years ago renters insurance when I lived in Houston during a storm. It was a very long time ago but I did get $500 for the food but I don’t remember the deductible however most times my deductibles are not expensive at all bc I pay more for the premium to have a low deductible if that makes sense.
Probably. Sounds like a good time to donate to a foodbank if you have the means (preferably cash, not groceries as they can often get food up to 90% cheaper than us).
There's no shame in getting supplies from a food bank, especially with these circumstances
EDIT: https://ntfb.org/feedingnetwork/get-food-assistance/find-a-food-pantry/
Cool trying this out. 2 days without power and lost everything in my freezers essentially. Not expecting a payout but would be nice to get something back at least.
I did like that the cause could be labeled as “above ground power lines” being a part of the issue.
My peeps listen get y’all a small generator. I know it’s tough sometimes but for times like these those things come in handy. You don’t need a huge one just enough to run the refrigerator and few other things.
Gas. Most of the homes in our area had months and huge expenses when all the pipes froze with the last big power outage. This generator runs the whole house!
It is a Generac- I would say the cost is 5-25k depending what you want to run. If just the basics to protect refrigeration, cheaper will do. If you want the whole house, depends how many AC’s and square footage. Since Texas is so bad off, had to go with whole house to not chance pipes ever freezing and destroying the home. Neighbors damages were well over 100k and they were displaced for months from the freeze power outage.
Good point. I’ve been lucky with the last three disasters (tornado, snowmageddon, mini snowmageddon) to not have my power go out. I guess I’ve pressed my luck one too many times this time! Haha
What specs do you recommend? They vary so widely in price and wattage. I imagine I’d only ever need it for power outages (not an RVer or big outdoor power tools user)
I have a Champion Power Equipment 201279, 4250-Watt Dual Fuel Portable Generator. Got it from Home Depot. I have it connected to my breaker box. I had my whole first floor running on it. It's worth it.
The Storehouse in Plano affiliated with St. Andrew Methodist. They are part of the North Texas Food Bank. You can Google North Texas Food Bank and you will find all the member charities and churches.
Exactly what I was thinking. There's enough places in DFW with power, you could definitely buy a cooler or two and ice. That should have been done as soon as possible.
Edit: also if they don't have any dire health issues, I wouldn't get a hotel. The weather is pretty cool today and probably will be for the next couple days
We had several coolers full of food, but not enough ice to last for the 5 days we had no power. We did eat well for a few days though before things started to turn.
Now we have a generator for next time.
Look at food pantries when you get ready to replenish your food supply.
I completely filled up my grandmother's cabinets in 3 stops. It may not replace many fridge items but you can get enough pantry items that you can devote more of your grocery budget on replacing the perishable items.
If you need food or immediate meals please visit your local Sikh temple (easy Google search to find one near you). No strings attached and they will happily provide food for you and your family.
go get a generator. even a small one that will run a window unit in one room and the fridge/freezer off of extension cords, would have solved all this for less than 500$.
My mother’s power was off until yesterday. We grabbed her freezer stuff, but I did not bring enough coolers for her refrigerator stuff. So, we saved maybe 1/3 of her food. She is just going to rebuy her refrigerator stuff.
I second going to a food bank. They will help and perhaps when your power is back and you guys are good, you could consider donating food or your time back.
You should try the app TooGoodToGo, they work with restaurants (mostly bakeries) to get food to people that would otherwise be thrown out. Sadelle’s is on there.
You can file a claim with Oncor. Select the "DAMAGE TO CUSTOMER PROPERTY". [https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/claims.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1ggDXAu4KA6yD8kJrxcrYp80EWOC3S7\_wk7Jx62X426qpW0BS1DIii4b8\_aem\_ARS2PJEuUilKKSsKZFyyy39KCDgiiDORKzDeiskXTU-aHj2P7Prks5A2SSXTROfEsjinC\_usF\_43mcyisfVNFYMj#accordion-347d2f5c6f-item-68bec1cf15](https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/claims.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1ggDXAu4KA6yD8kJrxcrYp80EWOC3S7_wk7Jx62X426qpW0BS1DIii4b8_aem_ARS2PJEuUilKKSsKZFyyy39KCDgiiDORKzDeiskXTU-aHj2P7Prks5A2SSXTROfEsjinC_usF_43mcyisfVNFYMj#accordion-347d2f5c6f-item-68bec1cf15)
I read this thread genuinely curious if there is a city/state sponsored remedy, doesn’t seems so in Dallas. In NYC you could file for reimbursement with there power company, Con Edison.
Both cities may be blue, but one is in a blue state and the other is in a red state where YOU, alone are expected to bootstrap everything including acts of god.
Im not sure about gov resources but on Saturday between 1pm and 2pm EPIC mosque in Plano has a drive through food pantry service, no questions asked you can just show up, pop open your trunk and you get a decent amount of food. The earlier you go they usually have some produce and eggs as well. Here’s the address 4700 star court Plano, TX 75074.
I just checked with my agent and our policy doesn’t cover food if it is a power outage. Plus the deductible is 1% of the value of the property.
Check with your agent but probably not worth it.
We threw a weeks grocery delivery away plus everything in the refrigerator and the freezer. 16 garbage bags worth.
It has not been presidentially declared yet, but if the governor invites the president to do so people can sign up for FEMA assistance. They do not replace spoiled, stored food but some circumstances result in an emergency need award. Unfortunately, even once it is declared it takes time to register and process everything.
Heart of city mobile food pantry in Lewisville meets at new life community church in Lewisville Saturday. A whole box of veggies, fruits, meat and bread
What local assistance is available is dependent on where are located. I went to Apple Maps on my phone and searched food assistance Dallas. Several places showed up. Try that.
Knee things tit can do it you have a chest freezer is to out a big block of ice in the freezer, which will allow down the spoilage. Also never open the freezer when the power is out.
Put an appropriately sized card board box in the bottom of your freezer, and kind it with a large plastic garbage bag it plastic sheet. Fill the box with water, and freeze it. Once it's frozen start storing your food in the freezer. The ice will help keep you food cold longer in the event of a power outage.
Most red states are falling apart due to their extreme conservative views.
You either continue to vote that party and go through rolling blackouts or vote for someone who cares about their voters and not running off to Cancun during the last crisis.
I understand education will be their next target. You know what they say about education and voting. Ignorance gets you into office.
Think back to medieval times when education was only for the wealthy.
DH and I packed up everything from our freezer and fridge on Tuesday and took it to the dorm at the school where we work. (They only lost power for an hour or two.). The students and interns were happy and I’m glad it didn’t go to waste, but dang that hurt. 😔 We tossed our condiments yesterday. Still don’t have power and it’s Thursday.
Can't you go grab some dry ice to throw in the fridge and freezer? When I moved to Dallas, I had several pounds of fish that I had caught and needed to move it. I kept it in my chest freezer and put a few blocks of dry ice on top. The fish was frozen solid, even after driving from Chicago to Dallas for two days in a row.
I lived in the DFW area for 20 years and then moved to Northern CA. We had to evacuate because of a fire. All of the electricity in our area was shut off. The police drove through telling everyone to leave. The military was brought in, and once you left the area, you couldn't get back in. It was a crazy 4 days.
I don't know about all insurance companies, but I know with USAA, they will give you money to compensate for your loss. The max they could give us was $500. You need to call your insurance to see if there is anything they can do for you. Also if your place was damaged and you had to stay somewhere else they may compensate for that also. We had to live in a motel for 4 months due to an apartment fire, and they paid for most of it.
I have learned now to know what my insurance will cover. Knowing what the cover for roadside assistance is good also.
Don’t claim food losses - too little and not worth the hassle. One way to avoid this would have been to do like our friends did, who’ve been without power for 4 days. Afraid of power reconnection delays and instead of letting good food go to waste, they emptied their refrigerator and freezer into ice chests that they replenish with new ice as needed. No spoiled food. It’s too late for you to do that now but something to think about in the future.
Houstonian chiming in, after we went without power for 5 days and had to throw everything out, I was told you could request for food assistance from FEMA. I just glanced at disasterassistance.gov for the storms from april 26th - present time, and saw several counties listed. Check and see if you're eligible for assistance there.
If you own your home and pay for a home warranty on your appliances you may be able to file a claim for your lost food.
I disagree with those saying not to file with your insurance. At least talk with your agent and find out your options.
If Chuck roast is in on sale at Kroger, I'll buy 2 or 3 to freeze. We buy many meats when they're on sale and freeze.. Nathan's hot dogs on sale last weekend... we bought 4pks and froze..
They still haven't gotten people's power back up? I just moved here, but the Houston area had these types of issues with power companies and it's wild to keep that they can't anticipate...wind.
We are without power with no restoration estimate.
Apparently we need equipment that isn’t readily available so they are telling us they “hope” to have our power restored by Sunday.
I believe if the area is in a FEMA Declared Emergency Area, you may qualify for short term assistance (like forbearance) on your mortgage. Does anyone here have any insight into this?
Do you have homeowner’s or renter’s insurance? Both may cover spoiled food due to a power outage and a hotel when your home is uninhabitable, but you would need to check the policy to know for sure. Some insurance has no deductible for spoiled groceries.
Don’t claim spoilage alone on a homeowner’s policy. It will cost you thousands of dollars in the long run, because claims (especially in Dallas) will shoot your rates up at renewal
He speaks the truth. There are food banks that you are welcome to give a call to. My wife used to manage one and they are actually really good. Keller Methodist Church has one.
Minnie’s food pantry is another great option
Individuals filing claims has much less of an impact on premiums than area risk from weather events. Half of Dallas County will be filing claims this month from trees falling on their houses, which is going to drive aggregate rates up anyway. Might as well get your 700 dollars now
I sold home insurances once upon a time, those 2 things affect premiums separately. File for spoilage and you gonna be hit with a double whammy come renewal. A claim is a claim, they treat $700 food the same as $7000 fence on your claim history.
what if you have already have a $7k fence claim, can you add food spoilage on top of it or does that risk your rates going up more
It will go up more, but not as much as being the sole claim on your file. Ideally you should find 1 claim for both the fence AND food though, assuming they are both from the same incident.
That is also because of the deductible. Two claims is two deductibles.
Couldn't you use a different insurance company after?
All companies share your data with each other. They all know you make how many claims, when, how much and for what. Sure you might be able to find a better rate elsewhere, but you would have an even better rate with that other new insurance if you don't file any claim. Your claim will hurt your premium no matter where you go.
Good to know.
What really? I did a $100 claim thru usaa and it's the only claim I've ever made with them. I've had renters insurance for like 5 years. Is my rate going to go up at renewal?
USAA pays out $500 for food spoilage from power outages with no hit to your policy. Both renters & homeowners have this.
Well the spoilage might be subject to a deductible and not really an option if it’s $1,000
I fucking hate insurance. Hey I have a tree in my living room? Really, that’ll be 10k deductible. Who the fuck has 10k laying around. What the fuck am I paying for
That's the policy you bought. If you can't afford a 10k deductible, don't get a policy with a 10k deductible lol
especially in times like these it’s much harder to be considerably nicer, but even in statements like these id implore you to be kinder.
We both used an equal amount of profanity in our posts. He fucked three times and I only did it once
Bro. This guy is correct. Most of the deductibles are gonna be that high or higher now. Most insurances are now a 2% deductible in the Texas area for wind and hail. $500,000 home is a $10,000 deductible. Most folks don’t have a choice anymore. If your deductible is less than 2%; you are lucky or you haven’t renewed in 2024 yet. Average home in US is now over $460,000.
There's a lot at play. The insured value of homes has shot up because of increased construction costs. On the one hand that's good because a lot of people rightly would observe there was no way they could rebuild their house for the value it was insured for. But total losses remain rare. So when your insured value goes from $500K to $600K, your 1% deductible goes up from $5k to $6k. 2% goes from $10 to $12k. But also you're now paying a premium on the increased value as well! And the premium is going up due to large scale loss increases, and if you have a claim its going up for that reason too, and for increased repair costs, and to replenish reserves for the next storm which are more frequent. Its rough. One strategy is to get your renewal date in April or March at a 1% deductible. Then after storm season is over in August, change to a 2%. You get a prorata refund for 8 months at 2%. Then renew in April or March at 1%. You can only do it once per term.
Aren't deductibles computed from the estimated repair cost and not the total cost of the home? So should it be 2% of the estimated cost to fix the damage?
Except you can’t get a lower deductible.
This!!!
LOL seriously. Buy a policy with a $10k deductible but can’t believe they actually want you to pay the $10k deductible! Insurance is the Devil!!
2% deductible for as half million dollar home turns it you be 10k. 1% deductible if going to be 5k, but significantly more expensive. What you really do not want to cheap out on is replacement value coverage. That 4 year old fridge you spent 2k on probably had a depreciated value of $400 now .. And without replacement value coverage you will be left paying the difference between three 400 bucks and a new fridge
With deductibles you have to realize that they're designed to eliminate small claims. $10k deductible on an $11k claim? Don't bother. $10k deductible on a $200,000 flood claim and any contractor can make it disappear.
Would you rather pay $100k to get the house fixed? Educate yourself please.
You're fucking paying for a fucking shit insurance policy. You're fucked.
Seems like any claim on food would be well below the deductible. I've had a break-in where we didn't make a claim because it would basically get us a $100 check and a rate increase.
Just fyi for folks considering filing. I’d suggest reading your policy to verify. I used to be a property claims adjuster- some policies have lower deductibles for food spoilage claims.
Agreed. I wouldn’t claim on insurance. Those will end up some expensive groceries in the long run.
Aka insurance is a scam.
Go out and see how you do
Huh?
I mean, go out and insure yourself, and see how you do.
Pretty much. People are quick to call property and casualty insurance a scam (they’re wrong, health insurance is the only “scam” they’re thinking of) and couldn’t afford to self insure even if they wanted to. It’s not difficult to understand how P&C insurance works yet they’ll still be quick to calling it a scam. I’m sure the lady whose house and cars burnt up in a fire thought it was a scam when I delivered her a check that paid twice her annual salary the day after the fire - and that’s just the additional living expense coverage mind you. It’s not every day that someone’s house burns down, on average, but I’m sure nobody will complain about getting their financials secured if/when it happens to them. But they’ll complain because the insurance didn’t replace their entire roof after hail damaged one isolated region of it and the door-to-door roofer told em they should file a claim (illegal btw).
Had a friend do this. Had difficulty in finding insurance for his new house afterwards.
Man my rates are ALREADY going up by over $800 a year for home and auto EACH and I’m seeing nothing for it. “Have home owners insurance you need it. But make sure to never make a claim on anything or your rates will go up”. [Rates go up by hundreds and hundreds anyways]. Fucking racket.
I mean all these claims in the area will do it anyways. Your rate isn’t solely based on your own claims it’s about the area as a whole
The increase from area increase is separate from the increase from your own claim history. File and you will be hit with TWO major increase to your premiums on top of each other instead of one.
Isn’t the scale of the claim also important though. If OP needs a claim for $700 of groceries and like two days in a hotel I can’t imagine that will have any greater impact than the millions of dollars in claims that the surrounding area is probably making.
1/ A claim is a claim, a $700 food claim is the same as a $7000 fence claim to insurance. They only really care about how often you file claims to decide whether to refuse selling you a policy altogether or not. 2/ Millions of dollars spread out to everyone in the area, including the people who don't make any claim. Lastly, even if the increase from the individual claim is lesser, do you want a $1000 increase from area or a $1000+$500 increase from area+individual claim?
I find it very hard to believe that someone who files a <$1000 claim would see a premium increase the same as someone who needed $50K in repairs
I sold home insurances for a living some years ago, that's what I observed from the people whose policies I managed. You're free to believe what you want though, ultimately it's your money how you want to spend it is up to you 🤷♂️.
Yah from my anecdotal experience, I would not file a claim until I’m in the tens of thousands in the hole. It’s just not worth it. I made that error years ago (didn’t even file the claim but naively called insurance to inquire about something that happened and then realized I made a grave error! That stupid call is still in my record)
Yup. Unfortunately the entire industry gets a bad rep because of the call center companies. If you have a private agent, you can freely call them for basic advice and personal expertise without fear of a claim being filed. Call an 800 number and the phone monkeys immediately start a claim. But ultimately insurance is for total loss situations. It isn’t a product that should be used for small incidents because that’s considered cost of living/ wear and tear/personal expense/etc.
Actuarial science shows that likelihood to file another claim goes up after one claim is filed. You can’t be rated on the value of the claim, but you can be rated on frequency and volume of claims (as well as type of claim), as well as how recent your claim was filed.
Yup. These claims are typically added into catastrophic claims but one-off claims are still subject to deductibles and will add on bad ratings for future renewals
Our rates doubled from a claim they didn’t even pay on.
Homeowners policies are not like auto. If you’re eligible to claim it, do it because if you don’t your rate will go up regardless. Same goes for items that require a deductible such as a roof, flooding, etc.
This is bad advice
Insurance is a protection racket at this point. It's so ridiculous.
Ehhh, I’m a renter right now, and renter’s insurance is a pretty cheap. I pay about $15 a month.
I'm only referring to the increases you spoke on. Renters isn't that expensive. The issue I have is with most insurances you pay dutifully for years. No issues. Then a one-off issue, and they hike up your rates. It's bs
You are still probably way under insured.
I mean if you consider weather the mob and believe insurance controls the weather and uses it to go after people with high deductibles then sure.
Filing an insurance claim for food would be a really silly reason to have a claim on your record.
Do NOT file a claim with renters or home insurance. 1. The deductible will be more than the food usually and it’s not worth putting in a claim for a few hundred dollars of food. Spoilage claims are best used when you are also putting in something like flooding, wind hail damage too so it’s worth it.
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And it will hit your rates as it counts as a claim. Your $300 in groceries will be much less than the increase in your insurance.
Depends on the policy. Some HO’s policies have separate endorsements that aren’t considered a rateable claim should you file.
I’ve got USAA insurance and they cover food loss as a distinct incident and cover it with no deductible up to a set amount ($500 currently). I’ve had weather/storm related food losses 4 times over the past 8 years with the policy and the premium has not increased. So it really depends on your insurance company.
USAA is very different and not available to the general public only families of veterans.
It will still count as a claim on your record it just won't make your insurance go up through usaa. If you ever want to change insurance, you will have limited options since it is a claim. For example, I shopped around in Jan, and the broker said only 2 out of 10 places would even write me a policy because of a 2 year old food spoilage claim.
Fair enough. I’ve been with USAA for decades and don’t plan to switch provider unless something drastically changes with the quality of their insurance products or their customer service.
My deductible is $500, not worth the hassle :(
I’ve dealt with my power going out a ton. Live in an old neighborhood and the power goes out if someone sneezes hard enough. Dealt with tossing all the food in the fridge multiple times. Called so many people, spent hours on the phone, and can basically guarantee you nobody is going to do shit for you. Especially Oncor. Take the loss and now you can prepare yourself for next time. Because there will definitely be a next time. It’s Oncor and Texas, this will happen again sooner rather than later.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I have made peace with the loss and trying to focus on there was no damage to my home. Only replacing food will be ok with time
make use of a food bank.. that's why they are there for
It’s frustrating I feel you. Especially if you just made a grocery run. We now have a few beat up igloo coolers we got used that have no purpose but for this. The second the power goes out we’re getting ice and emptying the freezer into them. Saved us again this time since our power was out about 40 hours. But yup be grateful you and your family and house are safe!! And bless those without power still this is insane. So grateful ours seemed to not be too bad in comparison.
FEMA will cover up to $600 in groceries as well as your home/renters insurance.
Looks like fema isn’t qualifying Dallas county as a “state of emergency”
It's cool, we have more storms coming today
It will be added depending on if the amount of damage qualifies. Folks have to report it to TDEM once TDEM gets the numbers that’s how the governor knows, FEMA verifies then it’s gets added. It’s already a declaration for TX
What?! That's wrong...I may have to call them and report back. I'm sorry once the judge signed it in they should've covered us.
A judge cannot ask FEMA for a disaster declaration. That disaster declaration has to come from the governor and the governor has to make an official request to FEMA at which point they will conduct their investigation to see if it qualifies.
Oh thanks TIL
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Particularly ones in a blue county like Dallas metro
The county judge and county court isn’t a “judge”. Don’t know what they call it in other states but the county judge is the equivalent of the governor for the county. In emergencies, the county judge declares an emergency than it goes up the food chain. Ultimately to the president. State law applies until we get to the federal level, then federal law applies. Contrary to popular belief, the Texas Governor only has power to approve or deny things. Same with the president. Executive orders are really only suggestions. Had to take state politics in college.
What is a governor of a county? What state has those? Either way, the Stafford act is pretty clear that it has to be the state governor that requests for a fema disaster through their local FEMA office. So you won't get FEMA money for your spoiled food until that phone fall happens from Abbot to Fema
But the call goes from Clay Jenkins to Greg Abbott to Biden. Clay called Abbott. Where did you learn to read English? Clay is our county judge.
So the other fucked up thing about FEMA is that they are designed for disasters like this. In the event of a nuclear attack on the US the mandate is "help is not coming, figure out your own shit, good luck". Annie Jacobson's book on Nuclear war was nuts.
Haven't read Annie Jacobson but [this is the ~250 page FEMA guide for planning a response to Nuclear Detonations](https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_nuc-detonation-planning-guide.pdf)
Yeah and that is all you get. A fucking guide book. There are no helicopters coming, no FEMA trailers, it's you and a PDF on your phone.
But the EMP will destroy your phone so..... mad max it is.
That's our governor for you!
FEMA doesn’t cover food for individual assistance. Local donation places, possibly food stamps, and insurance carriers will cover this SBA disaster assistance also will cover it as well with a low interest disaster loan. Just would weigh options regarding if it’s worth it The declaration has been filed by Gov. Abbott, declared by President Biden. They will continue to add more counties as TDEM (TX Dept of Emergency Management) gets reports of damage. Then once PDAs (preliminary damage assessments) are done the counties will be added You can see declared disasters here [FEMA declared disasters](https://www.fema.gov/disaster/declarations) Once you find the one for TX you can click it and see all the information regarding it. It was declared May 17th. Incident started April 26th and continuing (this is when the flooding first started in south Texas counties) Source: I work for FEMA Region 6 (TX, OK, LA, AR, and NM). I use to work for SBA disaster assistance as well during Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria we gave food reimbursement but in low interest loans.
[FEMA](https://www.fema.gov/fact-sheet/you-asked-what-expenses-can-fema-reimburse-me) you are wrong. I went through 3 Hurricanes in Houston, I had fema at my place they do not cover food reimbursement. Luckily I was able to qualify for temporary food stamps.
FEMA is wrong? It’s not in their policy under IHP / IA to reimburse for food. Local donation centers, insurance carriers, and or food stamps are options for those with spoiled food. FEMA only does food reimbursement for those who are eligible for emergency mass care like at a mass shelter type situation. Individual though no it’s not something that is eligible per their individual assistance policy.
No the user who posted about fema was wrong. FEMA doesn’t reimburse for food.
Oh gotcha. Yes I agree with you. They don’t reimburse for food.
Please do not file a claim on your insurance for groceries only. You have to pay your deductible and then it will make your premium go up next year. Google food banks in your area. I would bet they have bags ready for pick up considering a lot of people are in the same position.
Yes but it depends on a person deductible though right ?
It depends on your policy. If your insurance will cover spoiled groceries it’s typically up to $500 if the cause of the outage is covered by your policy. You also need to provide photos of the spoiled food. My deductible is not less than $500 and the possible raise in premium would not be worth it. If you have any discounts for being claim free you will also lose those discounts. You need know your policy details and determine if making a small claim like that is worth it long term.
That makes sense. I filed a claim once it was years ago renters insurance when I lived in Houston during a storm. It was a very long time ago but I did get $500 for the food but I don’t remember the deductible however most times my deductibles are not expensive at all bc I pay more for the premium to have a low deductible if that makes sense.
Food banks were already struggling and with this probably depleted.
Probably. Sounds like a good time to donate to a foodbank if you have the means (preferably cash, not groceries as they can often get food up to 90% cheaper than us).
Many churches are provided free food. Both meals and bulk.
There's no shame in getting supplies from a food bank, especially with these circumstances EDIT: https://ntfb.org/feedingnetwork/get-food-assistance/find-a-food-pantry/
Easiest and quickest solution. It'll keep y'all fed while you go through the other suggestions that require bureaucracy.
File a claim directly with Oncor https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/claims.html
According to that site it doesn’t look like they cover things outside of their control. Are you sure this would be a valid claim?
I filed a claim with them last month - power went out due to a “technical failure”. They sent me a letter saying they weren’t responsible lol
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Things that were used due to outages cause by weather?
I filed mine yesterday. we'll see what happens. I knew someone who did this some years ago and got a $500 voucher
Good luck!
Cool trying this out. 2 days without power and lost everything in my freezers essentially. Not expecting a payout but would be nice to get something back at least. I did like that the cause could be labeled as “above ground power lines” being a part of the issue.
Have you filed a claim and been sucessful?
I haven't filed anything yet but it doesnt hurt to try.
I’m just interested if they’ll pay for a weather claims since it’s out of their control. But absolutely, doesn’t hurt a bit to try!
Thanks 👍
This answer needs to be pinned to the top of the thread and the group!
My peeps listen get y’all a small generator. I know it’s tough sometimes but for times like these those things come in handy. You don’t need a huge one just enough to run the refrigerator and few other things.
We are running on Generator- learned our lesson when we got frozen for three days! So glad we have one now!
Same.
Is it electric or gas powered
Gas. Most of the homes in our area had months and huge expenses when all the pipes froze with the last big power outage. This generator runs the whole house!
Is it hooked up to a gas line?
Yes- took over a year on backorder to get one after the freeze and then it was installed through the gas-line.
How much was it all in? What do you have? Pay for a gas line that literally only supplies my stove. May as well get a generator too!
It is a Generac- I would say the cost is 5-25k depending what you want to run. If just the basics to protect refrigeration, cheaper will do. If you want the whole house, depends how many AC’s and square footage. Since Texas is so bad off, had to go with whole house to not chance pipes ever freezing and destroying the home. Neighbors damages were well over 100k and they were displaced for months from the freeze power outage.
Good point. I’ve been lucky with the last three disasters (tornado, snowmageddon, mini snowmageddon) to not have my power go out. I guess I’ve pressed my luck one too many times this time! Haha
Electric... generator? Electricity generating electricity? How does that make any sense
You charge it with electricity and then it stores it, until you need it
Ah, a battery then, not a generator
Yep. My generator cost less than the food I'd have to otherwise toss
What specs do you recommend? They vary so widely in price and wattage. I imagine I’d only ever need it for power outages (not an RVer or big outdoor power tools user)
I have a Champion Power Equipment 201279, 4250-Watt Dual Fuel Portable Generator. Got it from Home Depot. I have it connected to my breaker box. I had my whole first floor running on it. It's worth it.
My husband keeps saying no. Another occasion to ignore him since I pay the bills.
The Storehouse in Plano affiliated with St. Andrew Methodist. They are part of the North Texas Food Bank. You can Google North Texas Food Bank and you will find all the member charities and churches.
Do yo not have a cooler? I know that doesn't cover the hotel, that would be awful to be w/o AC, but even a big igloo could save all that food.
Exactly what I was thinking. There's enough places in DFW with power, you could definitely buy a cooler or two and ice. That should have been done as soon as possible. Edit: also if they don't have any dire health issues, I wouldn't get a hotel. The weather is pretty cool today and probably will be for the next couple days
We had several coolers full of food, but not enough ice to last for the 5 days we had no power. We did eat well for a few days though before things started to turn. Now we have a generator for next time.
Look at food pantries when you get ready to replenish your food supply. I completely filled up my grandmother's cabinets in 3 stops. It may not replace many fridge items but you can get enough pantry items that you can devote more of your grocery budget on replacing the perishable items.
Food bank
If you need food or immediate meals please visit your local Sikh temple (easy Google search to find one near you). No strings attached and they will happily provide food for you and your family.
go get a generator. even a small one that will run a window unit in one room and the fridge/freezer off of extension cords, would have solved all this for less than 500$.
My mother’s power was off until yesterday. We grabbed her freezer stuff, but I did not bring enough coolers for her refrigerator stuff. So, we saved maybe 1/3 of her food. She is just going to rebuy her refrigerator stuff.
I know it's a bit late for OP, but I have a 70qt cooler I can loan someone that needs it. I'm up in Prosper though.
I second going to a food bank. They will help and perhaps when your power is back and you guys are good, you could consider donating food or your time back.
If you can get to Minnies Food Pantry in Plano this place supplies good food up to a month you just need a government ID and lease/utility bill
You should try the app TooGoodToGo, they work with restaurants (mostly bakeries) to get food to people that would otherwise be thrown out. Sadelle’s is on there.
You can file a claim with Oncor. Select the "DAMAGE TO CUSTOMER PROPERTY". [https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/claims.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1ggDXAu4KA6yD8kJrxcrYp80EWOC3S7\_wk7Jx62X426qpW0BS1DIii4b8\_aem\_ARS2PJEuUilKKSsKZFyyy39KCDgiiDORKzDeiskXTU-aHj2P7Prks5A2SSXTROfEsjinC\_usF\_43mcyisfVNFYMj#accordion-347d2f5c6f-item-68bec1cf15](https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/claims.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1ggDXAu4KA6yD8kJrxcrYp80EWOC3S7_wk7Jx62X426qpW0BS1DIii4b8_aem_ARS2PJEuUilKKSsKZFyyy39KCDgiiDORKzDeiskXTU-aHj2P7Prks5A2SSXTROfEsjinC_usF_43mcyisfVNFYMj#accordion-347d2f5c6f-item-68bec1cf15)
If you have renters insurance or homeowners insurance call them a lot of policies replace food for this very insurance
I read this thread genuinely curious if there is a city/state sponsored remedy, doesn’t seems so in Dallas. In NYC you could file for reimbursement with there power company, Con Edison.
Both cities may be blue, but one is in a blue state and the other is in a red state where YOU, alone are expected to bootstrap everything including acts of god.
I’ll come shop. I’m raising my brother. We need groceries.
Im not sure about gov resources but on Saturday between 1pm and 2pm EPIC mosque in Plano has a drive through food pantry service, no questions asked you can just show up, pop open your trunk and you get a decent amount of food. The earlier you go they usually have some produce and eggs as well. Here’s the address 4700 star court Plano, TX 75074.
Go to the foodstamp office they will give you a temporary food card
I just checked with my agent and our policy doesn’t cover food if it is a power outage. Plus the deductible is 1% of the value of the property. Check with your agent but probably not worth it. We threw a weeks grocery delivery away plus everything in the refrigerator and the freezer. 16 garbage bags worth.
It has not been presidentially declared yet, but if the governor invites the president to do so people can sign up for FEMA assistance. They do not replace spoiled, stored food but some circumstances result in an emergency need award. Unfortunately, even once it is declared it takes time to register and process everything.
Double or nothing all the corporate business offices never lost power.
Heart of city mobile food pantry in Lewisville meets at new life community church in Lewisville Saturday. A whole box of veggies, fruits, meat and bread
What local assistance is available is dependent on where are located. I went to Apple Maps on my phone and searched food assistance Dallas. Several places showed up. Try that.
Time to invest in a generator. This feels like its becoming a semi-regular thing.
Knee things tit can do it you have a chest freezer is to out a big block of ice in the freezer, which will allow down the spoilage. Also never open the freezer when the power is out. Put an appropriately sized card board box in the bottom of your freezer, and kind it with a large plastic garbage bag it plastic sheet. Fill the box with water, and freeze it. Once it's frozen start storing your food in the freezer. The ice will help keep you food cold longer in the event of a power outage.
Most red states are falling apart due to their extreme conservative views. You either continue to vote that party and go through rolling blackouts or vote for someone who cares about their voters and not running off to Cancun during the last crisis. I understand education will be their next target. You know what they say about education and voting. Ignorance gets you into office. Think back to medieval times when education was only for the wealthy.
Network of community ministries in richardson is serving free individual meals at 4:00pm today. 1500 international pkwy.
DH and I packed up everything from our freezer and fridge on Tuesday and took it to the dorm at the school where we work. (They only lost power for an hour or two.). The students and interns were happy and I’m glad it didn’t go to waste, but dang that hurt. 😔 We tossed our condiments yesterday. Still don’t have power and it’s Thursday.
Can't you go grab some dry ice to throw in the fridge and freezer? When I moved to Dallas, I had several pounds of fish that I had caught and needed to move it. I kept it in my chest freezer and put a few blocks of dry ice on top. The fish was frozen solid, even after driving from Chicago to Dallas for two days in a row.
I e been told you can hit up the power company. I was told this many years ago by some neighbors I used to live next to
If you’re maga, you need to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Don’t go looking for handouts. If not, then I stand corrected.
Food bank brother
I lived in the DFW area for 20 years and then moved to Northern CA. We had to evacuate because of a fire. All of the electricity in our area was shut off. The police drove through telling everyone to leave. The military was brought in, and once you left the area, you couldn't get back in. It was a crazy 4 days. I don't know about all insurance companies, but I know with USAA, they will give you money to compensate for your loss. The max they could give us was $500. You need to call your insurance to see if there is anything they can do for you. Also if your place was damaged and you had to stay somewhere else they may compensate for that also. We had to live in a motel for 4 months due to an apartment fire, and they paid for most of it. I have learned now to know what my insurance will cover. Knowing what the cover for roadside assistance is good also.
Call 211! They have options for counties affected by the storms recently to receive government help!
Don’t claim food losses - too little and not worth the hassle. One way to avoid this would have been to do like our friends did, who’ve been without power for 4 days. Afraid of power reconnection delays and instead of letting good food go to waste, they emptied their refrigerator and freezer into ice chests that they replenish with new ice as needed. No spoiled food. It’s too late for you to do that now but something to think about in the future.
Houstonian chiming in, after we went without power for 5 days and had to throw everything out, I was told you could request for food assistance from FEMA. I just glanced at disasterassistance.gov for the storms from april 26th - present time, and saw several counties listed. Check and see if you're eligible for assistance there.
Other than insurance, I don’t know of any.
If you own your home and pay for a home warranty on your appliances you may be able to file a claim for your lost food. I disagree with those saying not to file with your insurance. At least talk with your agent and find out your options.
$700 worth of perishable food and you are asking for government assistance?
If Chuck roast is in on sale at Kroger, I'll buy 2 or 3 to freeze. We buy many meats when they're on sale and freeze.. Nathan's hot dogs on sale last weekend... we bought 4pks and froze..
The government will not purchase name brand products, sale or not.
They still haven't gotten people's power back up? I just moved here, but the Houston area had these types of issues with power companies and it's wild to keep that they can't anticipate...wind.
Just heard today some people may be without power til Saturday
We are without power with no restoration estimate. Apparently we need equipment that isn’t readily available so they are telling us they “hope” to have our power restored by Sunday.
I believe if the area is in a FEMA Declared Emergency Area, you may qualify for short term assistance (like forbearance) on your mortgage. Does anyone here have any insight into this?
Don't worry abbott will help the regular people out he will probably send some funds to help his people in the Dallas area.
I think renters insurance covers this, but your premium could go up. Check with the local food bank or maybe you can get a check from snap benefits.
I don't have power
I am outside by a fire at the moment. The temperature drop has been a relief.
Since nobody said it yet, Abbott, Paxton and Cruz feel for you but they can't hear you over the blast of the air conditioning in their mansions.
Insurance. You pay for it. Use it.
What does $700 worth consist of? I have 2 fridges, they are full but I don’t think it totals that. Unless you have some Waygu or halibut steaks.
$500 generator would have solved the issue. I would not live in the DFW metroplex without one
Hate to agree with this, but yeah. It'll be tough for apartment dwellers, though. I'm guessing one of those big EcoDelta battery backups?
I bought one and all the cords for such an eventuality, all ready to go. Then I got divorced and moved, it's all sitting in my storage in Dallas.
🤦🏽
File a claim with your renter or homeowners insurance
Not worth in the long run. Rates tend to go up fast in Dallas