Homes damaged by heavy rainfall
A little unexpected help
The flood came down the street so fast that one moment the carpet was rising and the next, the couch and refrigerator were floating. But that wasn't the worst shock.
The Post and Courier
New drywall and insulation have been installed in David Griffin's home in North Charleston after the house, along with those of his neighbors, flooded during the heavy rains that fell in October.
The next morning, a dozen homeowners in Northwoods Estates in North Charleston found out insurance wouldn't cover any of more than $50,000 in damage to each home after the deluge of rain in late October.
Nobody had flood insurance because nobody thought they needed it; the streets sit on a rise above drainage wetlands. They have retention ponds. They're not in the flood zone.
On top of that, Kenneth Frost's homeowner's insurance company dropped his coverage the next day. He and his wife have two children.
"I was only here a week. I hadn't even paid a mortgage yet," Frost said. "I want to stay in my home."
Then, as frustrated homeowners dragged their ruined, smelling furniture out onto the lawns, an unexpected set of rescuers emerged.
Nearly two dozen home builders and supply companies, themselves fighting tough economic times, are donating materials and labor to rehabilitate the homes.
Previous stories
Oh, what a mess the storm left us; Business owners among those stillcleaning up, published 10/28/08
Record rainfall leaves flooded roads, homes, published 10/26/08
"When you get to a certain point in the community, you have to step up," said Trae Redmond, project manager for Centex Homes, the company working on two homes.
The mediator making this happen is the city of North Charleston.
The city doesn't appear to be at fault. Ponds and drainage met the requirements, said Darbis Briggman, building director.
They just weren't enough for the amount of rain that fell.
"We came in, saw they needed assistance. We stepped up. We've got a lot of young families here. If we don't show where we need (assistance), it's not going to happen," Briggman said. As for liabilities, "that's for the attorneys," he said.
In the meantime, the city is paying for a study of the drainage along the U.S. Highway 52 connector behind the neighborhood that feeds into a canal. With the study, the city will go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a grant to improve the drainage.
The homeowners were blindsided. You just don't expect a rainstorm to turn a neighborhood of $200,000 homes into a disaster.
"I couldn't believe it. I never thought something like that would happen, said David Griffin, a firefighter, who donned his bunker gear to wade waist deep down the street to his ruined home.
"The city came out and they've been great."
Reach Bo Petersen at 745-5852 or bpetersen@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
strongjohn10856 (anonymous) says...
That's a little harsh, early. While what your say about insurance is true, many homeowners don't realize the potential for water damage unless someone points it out - if you are not in the 100-year flood zone, most mortgage lenders do not require flood insurance. This incident just goes to show that just about everyone living in the Lowcounty should have flood insurance. It really is a bargain.
November 10, 2008 at 8:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
g4driver (anonymous) says...
Early is right. If you look at all the news stories the past ten years, all the folks getting flooded were NOT required to get flood insurance.
If you're not required to get flood insurance, it will be DIRT CHEAP. It's foolish not to have it. Ask all the folks in Ohio who were flooded in the spring of 2007.
Why risk a flood if you don't have to?
November 10, 2008 at 9:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Chilldiesel83 (anonymous) says...
I dont think that is harsh at all Early. I work in insurance and it is 100% the truth. Flood insurance is only required in any V or A zone. If you are not located in that zone, then more than likely it is in an X zone or a C zone which is dirt cheap. No one thinks that things can happen to them until it is too late. Everyone hates paying for insurance until they really need it, then when they have not bought the coverage they needed, they take you to court, because when you asked them did they want to buy it and they said no, the customers say that you should have forced them to take it because they needed it. Ok getting off topic here but the bottom line is that flood insurance is cheap and especially after Katrina, you would think that anyone who doesnt live atop a mountain in the desert would be foaming at the mouth to buy it.
November 10, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
iculukin (anonymous) says...
You might want to read the small print if you do have flood insurance. A young man in Hanahan, who was required to have flood insurance and did, has been denied his claim due to the way his home was built. The damage was from the same storm.
November 10, 2008 at 10:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dlpslg (anonymous) says...
This situation is not unusual. I have been to FEMA training and as the instructor said, "everybody lives in a flood zone, just depends where." Zones A or V you are required to have flood insurance if you have a mortgage loan through a federally insured institution. The mistake many people make is when they have no mortgage and the decision is made not to carry flood insurance. Also, historically, 25% of all claims to the NFIP are outside of zones A and V.
November 10, 2008 at 4:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Slick50 (anonymous) says...
"When you get to a certain point in the community, you have to step up," said Trae Redmond, project manager for Centex Homes, the company working on two homes.
I am sure everyone involved appreciates your efforts, Centrex.
November 10, 2008 at 8:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blues101 (anonymous) says...
flood insurance, even in flood zones is relatively inexpensive and should be a priority. you have more chance of being flooded that having other catastrophes, especially in areas of the country that have several inches of rain per hour frequently and is in hurricane zone. for probably less than 25 dollars per month (you pay yearly, but for example...) you are covered.
no homeowner's insurance covers water that comes from the ground up. whether it's heavy rain, blocked storm drains, or hurricane waters, runoff - water entering from top, covered in regular insurance, flooding at ground level, even by broken water mains - covered only by the gov.t ins. pays for itself the first time you lose everything at ground level.There are requirements before you can be insured, and the homeowner is aware of that prior to accepting the insurance.
November 10, 2008 at 11:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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