KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Ryan is deeply connected in the Belton and Cass County community. The insurance source for this story was connected with Ryan through the Belton Chamber of Commerce — a community resource beyond local business, serving a variety of needs. Share your story idea with Ryan.
—
There's still plenty of trash that needs to be cleaned up after Friday's EF-1 tornado in Belton, Missouri.
Residents like Kennedy Lea are packing up their things as repairs to their homes begin.
"We got told this morning that the damage to the back half of our house was a whole lot worse than they thought it was," Lea said. "They have to tear out the whole back of our house, so we have to move out today."
Lea took KSHB 41 Cass County Reporter Ryan Gamboa through her rental home to show him the damages.
The tornado shattered the window in the master bedroom and took out a chunk of the roof on the rear of her house.
"It’s very chaotic, it’s very stressful," she said.
A few doors down at Jane Smith's rental house, she's still amazed at the damage to her home.
Her family has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years and have never seen a storm like the one that swept through Friday.
She also gave Gamboa a tour of the damage inside her home.
"There was water dripping down the light sockets there," she pointed out in one of the bedrooms. "This door was actually laying here. That was a forceful wind because this door is heavy."
Smith told Gamboa her landlord has been great throughout the recovery process. They even pro-rated her rent from the day of the storm and gave her an option to get out of her lease.
In addition, her renter's insurance has kicked in.
"They're not messing around," she said. "They [renter's insurance] even offered to pay for a hotel. They wanted to put money in my account today."
Under Missouri State Law, renter's are not liable to pay their rent after a storm or an "Act of God" the statute states.
"Tenants in some ways are in a precarious position because the landlord didn’t do anything to them, but they are still out of their home," Teresa Deaton said.
Deaton is an insurance agent based in Belton and said she's checked in with clients all day Monday. Two of her clients have already started the claims process for damage sustained to their homes.
Gamboa was connected with Deaton through the Belton Chamber of Commerce.
"It has been a good reminder of why I sell what I sell and why I do what I do," she said.
But Deaton does have some important reminders for tenants impacted by Friday's storm, as tenants sit in limbo waiting for a claim to go through for repairs from the landlords.
"Your homeowner’s insurance is going to cover the house, your roof all of the extras," she said. "Your renter’s insurance is going to cover your contents, personal property, it’s gonna cover a place to stay."
Deaton said most landlords require tenants to purchase renter's insurance, but there is no state law that mandates that.
"It’s going to provide up to a certain limit and give you a spot to be while that house, that apartment or townhome is being restored," she said.
For folks like Lea, who's been focused on getting life back to normal, she only thought renter's insurance would cover personal property. Only a few of her items were damaged.
"I’m not 100 percent familiar with our renters insurance," she said. "Interesting, I did not know that. I’ll have to look into it."
Deaton estimates based on the damage she's seen across the community, it could be six to eight months until some people get any repairs on their homes. Renter's insurance can potentially cover a portion of living expenses up to a year.
"It could take a while for the claims process to happen, and even if the landlord’s diligent, it may take a while to get the damage repaired," she said. "It’s the worst of the damage that is covered first and then it is prioritized from there."
Deaton encourages people struggling with what to do next to contact a local insurance agent and ask questions. She said there's still some options to get through this hardship.
Deaton shared an important reminder to watch for any water leaking into the home, including from drains. If that water creates any damage, after a landlord's period of liability to mitigate further damage, it can be considered "floodwater" and it may not be covered. That can cause more problems.
"From my perspective, this is where we keep promises," Deaton added. "You’re handing me money and I’m handing you a promise of when it all hits the fan."
For more information on where to find local resources, contact the Belton Chamber of Commerce office.
To view the Belton Chamber of Commerce's full directory, click here.
—
