Abilene Residents Still Face Roofing Woes After Storm
By: Brendaliss Gonzalez
Updated: February 9, 2012
The sounds of hammering were music to James Stubblefield's ears.
"Thank God," said Stubblefield.
It's been a year since last Easter's hail storm damaged the roof of the home he's rented for more than 9 years.
"The insurance company came around probably about five months ago and just now getting to it," he said.
It took the insurance company 5 months after they inspected the home to get the repairs done.
The softball-sized hail damaged thousands of other homes around the Big Country.
More than 7,000 homes had roofing damages from last year's storm. Like Stubblefield, many hadn't seen repairs until now and roofing may not be the only problem.
"With people the first thing they think of in a hail damage claim is fixing the roof,"said Daryl Hayes, an attorney at Galbreath Law Firm in Abilene. "And the roofing industry came through and they repaired a whole lot of roofs in Abilene, Texas and the insurance company is typically pretty quick to pay the roofer, but what they're not doing is investigating the other issues they may not want."
The law firm has begun advertising for homeowners who believe their insurance didn't properly estimate the entire damages. Hayes says many insurers often underestimate the total costs in damage.
"Companies will just rely on the roofing companies for their estimate of whatever the damage is to the roof," he said. "It's my opinion that the home owner needs someone on their side to make sure and look that the company has done the right thing. That there's not additional damage that wasn't fixed by the roofing company.
Hayes suggests that homeowners make sure they have an inspector complete a thorough evaluation- checking fences and window screens to make sure they weren't ignored by insurance companies.
Stubblefield says that at least for now, he can rest assured that he'll sleep peacefully tonight under a sturdy roof.
"Thank God," said Stubblefield.
It's been a year since last Easter's hail storm damaged the roof of the home he's rented for more than 9 years.
"The insurance company came around probably about five months ago and just now getting to it," he said.
It took the insurance company 5 months after they inspected the home to get the repairs done.
The softball-sized hail damaged thousands of other homes around the Big Country.
More than 7,000 homes had roofing damages from last year's storm. Like Stubblefield, many hadn't seen repairs until now and roofing may not be the only problem.
"With people the first thing they think of in a hail damage claim is fixing the roof,"said Daryl Hayes, an attorney at Galbreath Law Firm in Abilene. "And the roofing industry came through and they repaired a whole lot of roofs in Abilene, Texas and the insurance company is typically pretty quick to pay the roofer, but what they're not doing is investigating the other issues they may not want."
The law firm has begun advertising for homeowners who believe their insurance didn't properly estimate the entire damages. Hayes says many insurers often underestimate the total costs in damage.
"Companies will just rely on the roofing companies for their estimate of whatever the damage is to the roof," he said. "It's my opinion that the home owner needs someone on their side to make sure and look that the company has done the right thing. That there's not additional damage that wasn't fixed by the roofing company.
Hayes suggests that homeowners make sure they have an inspector complete a thorough evaluation- checking fences and window screens to make sure they weren't ignored by insurance companies.
Stubblefield says that at least for now, he can rest assured that he'll sleep peacefully tonight under a sturdy roof.
