Some families are in limbo as they wait to find out what their insurance company will cover.
DEER PARK, Texas — With the Deer Park pipeline fire finally extinguished, questions continue to arise about who will process the insurance claims.
We’ve seen the devastation this pipeline fire has caused — the outside of some homes have been melted and others have been waterlogged.
You might remember the Hutto family who we spoke to Wednesday night. They met with their insurance representative Thursday morning and there’s no definite timeline on these claims.
They’re not the only ones with questions on who will respond to the overwhelming damage.
“Look at this, (the mobile home unit’s siding) is completely melted,” Walter Romero said.
Coming home is an emotional experience for Romero as his wife and children were home when the pipeline fire first started.
“She called me crying and screaming, ‘Hey come back home.’ I was like, what happened?” Romero said.
Romero is one of several homeowners who have found damage to their homes after the massive pipeline fire started on Monday.
“We’re not sure how the damage is inside the walls,” Romero said.
On Thursday evening, the fire finally came to a halt. Our cameras were rolling as we watched officials move in to replace the damaged pipeline.
Now, several homeowners are picking up the pieces and they said their attention now turns to insurance claims.
Romero said he’s been talking with his homeowner’s insurance company.
“When they have more information they say they’re going to contact me,” Romero said.
Rich Johnson with the Insurance Council of Texas said submitting a claim as soon as possible is critical.
“The first thing they need to do is get back to their home if they can and start documenting. Start taking pictures. Start taking video. If there is a responsible party or another party is found responsible down the road the insurance companies will basically work on behalf of the customers,” Johnson said.
Until the responsible party is determined, families like Romero’s are counting their blessings as they know their home will one day be replaced.
“Items — they come and they go but the safety of my family is first,” Romero said.
Johnson also said if any of the displaced homeowners are covering food or housing on their dime to keep the receipts. Depending on the insurance policy they could be reimbursed.
