It was about 9:30 am. We were all having a bit of a lazy morning. It was a little rainy & gloomy out and we didn't have anywhere to go, so we were just hanging out in the living room. We hadn't even turned on the TV yet. It was April in KS~ a yucky windy storm was not at all unusual. Then it all got quiet and an ugly shade of green. We had about enough time to think "huh. That's strange..." and then it hit. The wind was so loud it literally roared and it made this horrible "honking" noise (as my son Mark describes) as the forceful wind nearly popped the windows right out of their frames. We were so stunned we didn't even get the chance to run to the basement or do any of the things you're supposed to do. And within about three minutes it was all over. We were all fine (even the animals outside) and that's what has kept me sane through this whole ordeal. My family is safe~ stuff can be replaced.
So once the storm had completely passed, Mathew and I went outside to assess the damage. The roof was damaged pretty badly, but repairable. Shingles blown everywhere and trusses broken, but livable. Gutters all blown off, 100+ year old evergreen tree knocked down, wood propelled into my windshield of my car and shattered, solid cast iron patio furniture blown 1/2 mile into the corn field and dropped so hard it bent in half, and a barn that was pushed off its foundation and only standing on a splinter.
We're all fine, this stuff can be fixed. No big deal. So we immediately called the insurance company.
And we're still not sure if this was a micro-burst or a quick touch down of a tornado. We called the weather service and the closest location was 30 miles away. They never did get an accurate measurement of the high winds in our area at all much less this. (I'm sorry. 40 mph wind doesn't do this kind of damage).
So if that was the worst of it, I'd just add it to the list of unfortunate incidents in our life and move on. But oh no, of course it can't be that simple.
Insurance company didn't come out for a WEEK AND A HALF! The guy was a jerk and didn't do anything to help us. And so began the fight. We had to purchase and place our own tarps in the mean time to futilely try and keep the water out of our house. The guy tried to claim that the storm couldn't have caused the magnitude of damage to the trusses (as he's looking at this massive tree twisted and broken in half in our yard) and wouldn't give us a dime or aid yet. Mathew was on the phone constantly trying to get help. Meanwhile storm after storm after storm rolled through. It's April in KS after all. The water literally poured into the house. The shop vac couldn't keep up with the water and the floors needed to be ripped out. Then the drywall couldn't hold onto the massive amounts of water anymore and the ceilings caved in. In some places right above where we stashed furniture in an attempt to salvage it from all the water.
After SIX weeks we finally got the manager of our insurance company's branch to come out and he brought along with him a representative from ServPro. They took one look at the place and said "you can't live here! We're going to pack up all your stuff for you and give you a place to stay while we repair the damage.". I was so relieved I cried!! Thank God we're finally getting help!!
Nope. Of course not.
We stayed in a hotel room... All five of us in one room... For 3 weeks. No house to stay in on the horizon. No money coming in for repairs. Nothing. Mathew, the real estate agent had enough, and in one afternoon found us a place to rent. (And yeah. During all of this phase we suffered yet another miscarriage. Why not add insult to injury).
So we moved into the rental house. Only a very few of our belongings given back to us so we could function. Insurance company, even though they weren't giving us enough money for repairs and we were handling it almost all on our own, said that we had enough time to fix the house come December and quit paying for the rental.
From there we had to hop from place to place. Friends houses, multiple hotels. Ten "moves" I had to put my kids through while we fought for our home. Meanwhile Mathew had to fight with insurance day in and day out to no avail. They were pulling crap like dividing our claim into two separate claims: storm damage, then water damage. Even though the water was because of the storm and because of their negligence.
(Oh, and did I forget to mention we were robbed THREE times at this point in my story? Oh yes. They left two trailers full of tools and supplies in the yard so we could work on the house and people saw that as an open invitation to help themselves. Thousand and thousands of dollars lost. Awesome.)
Then they said they wouldn't cover the barn because it wasn't on our policy until Mathew had to prove it to them. They would only pay for a tenth of the water damage because the basement started to grow mold... But the mold was because of the water and it sat because of their neglect, and it got there because of their neglect...
Omg I'm starting to feel panicky again just rehashing all of this. Let's just say that I could go on and on for a week with all of the insurance stuff we had to fight for.
So come August, we realized that we could no longer afford to keep the house and finish the repairs with what we used from our saving and with what little they gave us, so we essentially gave up. But decided to start our life over in Vermont. Now was as good a time as any. And I'm so glad we did!
Now we finally have a home again. Our own beds. My kids have their toys back. Little things we very much missed that we couldn't have for the longest time. We have our life back.
So now, at the two year mark, we think we're at the point where we've gotten every dime from them they'd be willing to give and it doesn't add up to more than a fraction of what we are owed. So now, two years after the start of our nightmare:
WE ARE SUING THE PANTS OFF NATIONWIDE INSURANCE!
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| I hate this guy. :/ |
So, now we are hoping this is the beginning of the end. That we can finally finish all of this and put it behind us.
Wish us luck!
I don't think I have much more fighting in me.
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