Gossip
Rumors on Filing Flood Insurance Claims before Sept. 1
Randy Lovelace of Paragon Independent Insurance Agency shared, “The rumor is that your Hurricane Harvey claim will be negatively impacted if you don’t get your claim filed by September 1, 2017 as a result of a new Tx law House Bill 1774. Please get the facts, as this is mostly false. FEMA backed Flood Insurance is NOT included in this law. Texas Windstorm Insurance is NOT included in this law. What the law does have an effect on is law suits involving Private Insurance companies.”
Due to the increase rumors on after the devastation of Harvey and posts on social media, FEMA has dedicated an entire section of their website called “Hurricane Harvey Rumor Control” to address rumors and laying down the facts at https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-harvey-rumor-control.
Rumor: Flood Insurance (September 1 Deadline)
There are reports individuals must file a flood insurance claim before Friday, September 1 because a new Texas law goes into effect that day and all claims filed after Sept. 1 would be negatively impacted. This is FALSE.
Texas State “House Bill 1774,” passed by the 85th Texas Legislature, does not affect flood insurance policies or claims. Flood insurance is provided through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which was created by Congress through the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. The NFIP is a federal program subject to federal law, so this new Texas state law will have no impact on NFIP policyholders.
For information on how this legislation will impact other types of insurance claims in Texas, please reach out to the Texas State Insurance Commissioner’s office.
NFIP flood insurance policyholders with flood damage should file their insurance claims as soon as possible to begin their recovery process, but there is no benefit or penalty in filing before or after September 1, 2017. Learn more about how to file your flood insurance claim.
FEMA also addresses rumors of shelters requiring ID checks as well as scams over hiring at $4-5k Per Week, flood insurance premiums (robo-calls), inspections or contractor repairs, and impersonations regarding Homeland Security Investigations. Visit https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-harvey-rumor-control to get more info on FEMA and Hurricane Harvey.
To get info on the Bill itself and see the specifics of the bill then go to: https://legiscan.com/TX/text/HB1774/id/1513628
There is a lot of misinformation circulating online and because rumors spread fast please tell a friend and share this article.
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