ODESSA, Texas — It's been a bit strange in West Texas these past few days.
Normally sunny with plenty of heat, West Texas has been hit with a barrage of rain ever since the week of Sept. 2 started.
That rain has also brought flooding and lots of it.
That floodwater piles up on the streets, making it a hassle to get to the store or to drive to work.
That's where flooding insurance comes in handy.
Normally, flooding insurance can be applied to both automobiles and homes. For an automobile, flooding insurance can apply to a wide range of damage caused by rising water levels.
“Water has been sucked into the motor, and it can do a whole lot of damage to a motor really, really quickly. In cases, like some of the ones I've seen today, they drive into deep water and it just keeps getting deeper and actually floods the interior compartment of the vehicle," said Kris Crow, a Farmer's Insurance agent. "Obviously that has to be dried out and creates some serious problems there as well.”
On average, the amount that flooding insurance can cover depends on the make and model of the damaged car.
“A lot of cases when you have flooding like this, and we get water that's sucked into a motor, it can be a total loss for that vehicle," Crow said. "If you're talking about $100,000 Lexus, you've got a $100,000 claim.”
When it comes to flooding insurance for your home, it can cover things that home insurance normally doesn't, such as rising water.
“Most homes specifically exclude that in a regular homeowner policy," Crow said. "So to have coverage for rising water or wind driven rain, you actually have to have a flood insurance policy in Texas that specifically addresses those perils or those causes of loss.”
If you’re looking to file a claim, there is a decent amount of money that can be covered.
“The maximum is going to be that building limit or dwelling limit that they have on the policy. It depends on the the house. If it's a million dollar house, they'd have a million dollar limit. If it's a $100,000 house, they'd have a $100,000 limit," Crow said. "Whatever the total value of the house is is normally what you would enter for.”
With the way technology has progressed, applying for a claim can be done with just your phone.
“In some cases now just with the technological advances we've had, they're having you send in pictures of the damage, and they adjust straight off of that and working out who you're going to have fix it, kind of what your deductible is, coming up with a fair amount to settle that claim and then cutting checks," Crow said. "It normally moves pretty quick. With most claims, they're normally settled within seven to 14 days."
Crow suggested people questioning whether or not to get flooding insurance to talk with their agent about what they own and if the risk of damage outweighs the cost of insurance.