Lowndes County homeowners faces insurance hurdles after Hurricane Helene

• Many homeowners in the region have struggled with insurance companies denying or limiting coverage amidst an influx of claims.
• Three or more insurance claims in a one-year period could lead to coverage being dropped.
• Watch the video to hear how this affects neighbors in Lowndes County.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT

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Karen Kelly has lived in her Lake Park home for several years.

It’s a generational home, standing for over 125 years.

She says there were some issues pre-Helene, but the storm damage left her without a rooftop and massive holes.

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“The wind had blown out; the ceiling had caved in the furniture in. The room was all covered in water, and when I looked up, I could tell that something was wrong about the roof.”

Kelly says since she was covered by home insurance, she was sure the damage would be taken care, but nearly three months later, many of current repairs have been out of pocket.

“The most frustrating thing about this is the insurance company of course; the problem was, they only wanted to replace a third of the roof.”

With an inundation of claims from our region, stories like Kelly’s are common; jumping through hoops to get insurance companies to fix damages, or for neighbors who have been hit by all three hurricanes since 2023, dropped coverage.

According to bank-rate.com, due to increased liability, clients who filed three or more claims in a one-year period could face being dropped.

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It’s an issue legislators like our State Rep Dexter Sharper has heard time and again, but with private businesses, they can only do so much, but they plan on discussing options during the Georgia General Assembly next month.

“Now they are really feeling, you know, the impact of going years without these people having any claims, but all of a sudden you have 3 legitimate claims.”

Those who lack home insurance will still have recourse with FEMA for future disasters.

In Valdosta, I’m Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC27.