>> After a week of historic storms across the state,
residents near the Wolf River in central Wisconsin
were some of the hardest hit with flooding. Some are
just beginning to assess the damage after evacuation
orders sent them fleeing to higher ground. Beyond
bailing out the water, many are calling their insurance
companies to find out what damage is or isn't covered.
Here and now, reporter Steven Potter has this
report from Waupaca County. >> People were in kind of a
panic because this rose faster and more water than
we've ever seen in our lifetime.
>> When heavy storms struck central Wisconsin late last
week, it was far too much for the Wolf River to
handle. A long waterway that bends through Waupaca
County, many residents near the river, and even some
not near the river, quickly found their homes and
property underwater. Communities like Fremont,
New London and Shiocton were swamped.
>> It's worse than anybody anticipated.
>> Jim Falke is a village trustee in Fremont.
>> There's quite a few homes in the area that are
severely damaged with waist deep water. The businesses
have all been shut down for for a week now.
>> As you can see here in Fremont, much of downtown
is flooded still days after. We've got water pumps and
trucks trying to get this water out. One business
owner told me they're simply trying to move water
from one place to another. Resident Yvonne Clemens
owns two businesses in Fremont, one downtown and
one on the river. >> Of course, there's
always been some high water, but I don't think anybody
has ever expected to see it this high.
>> So as for her resort on the river, she says she
doesn't know what's been ruined because it's so
waterlogged she can't get to it.
>> Honestly, I have no idea. I won't know until we see
the extent of the damage and what needs to be
replaced. all the water and the
damage, those affected by recent storms also have
another challenge dealing with insurance companies.
>> It can be a very difficult time for people,
right? You have a storm come through. You realize
that your car is damaged, your house is damaged.
Maybe your your personal belongings are damaged and
it can be scary. You know, people don't necessarily
know what to do, where to turn.
Wisconsin's insurance commissioner. His office
serves as the state's insurance industry watchdog.
>> We're here for people who have questions about
dealing with their insurance policy, or for
people who maybe feel like they're not being treated
fairly. have never encountered
natural disasters before, he strongly recommends
keeping good records in the aftermath.
>> Before you start cleaning up anything or
spending money on any repairs. Make sure you
document the damage. Take pictures. Create an
inventory of anything >> Houdek says people
should resist the urge to move too fast during
cleanup. >> Before you make any
major purchases or throw anything away, you really
want to work with the adjuster to make sure that
you're doing everything in complying with what you
need to, to make sure that the claim is handled
properly. >> But what if your claim
isn't being handled properly?
>> If you feel like your insurance company or the
adjuster is not treating you fairly in terms of
covering things that you feel like should be covered
by your policy, that's when we encourage people to
contact our office to, you know, potentially file a
complaint or just to ask questions.
>> Houdek also notes that insurance policies vary
widely and can be very different depending on the
company and specific coverage. It pays to read
the fine print. >> We encourage people to
check their insurance coverage regularly to make
sure that the coverage they have is appropriate and
provides the necessary protection.
>> One very pertinent example of that is like
what people in Waupaca County are going through
right now. >> If you have damage or
you experience a loss from flooding that typically
isn't covered by a homeowner's policy.
>> Houdek says that Wisconsin residents who
actually have flood insurance are very few and
far between. >> Through the National
Flood Insurance Program, there's only about 10,000
policies statewide. And, you know, obviously we're a
state of about 6 million >> But Houdek says flood
insurance can be affordable and worth it.
>> A designated flood plain or in a place where you
experience flooding regularly. Really? You want
to consider getting flood insurance because we're
seeing more and more situations where flooding
is occurring in places where it really never has
before. Even one inch of water can cause as much as
$25,000 of damage. >> Roy Toepke is a lifelong
Fremont resident. >> I'm going to be 73
shortly and never been anything close to this as
far as flooding. >> He hadn't been back to
his home since evacuation orders were given last
Saturday. He doesn't have flood insurance.
>> We have an exposed basement that I think may
have had some water come in. We'll find out when we get
there. We didn't really look into flood insurance
because technically there's never been a flood where
where we're at, but it might be something we need
to look at in the future. >> Worse than not having
flood insurance is not having any insurance at all.
>> There is a lot of people on the river that do not
have homes, homeowners insurance because of the
cost or just because. Yeah, they just don't have it.
>> Luckily, we do have flood insurance. We have a
call in to them, you know, to start the process. Of
course, it takes a while. We also have regular
insurance. >> Those who may have
insurance may not have enough or the right kind.
>> But you know, sometimes that doesn't cover lost
wages. So for those folks that have businesses that
they rely on for income, it's going to be hard on
those folks. >> Early estimates on the
water damage from last week's storms in central
Wisconsin are already in the millions and continue
to climb. And that's not counting all of the time
spent and tears already shed.
>> I think it's going to be a long haul before we're
able to get it up and going able to get it up and going