Storm survivors facing insurance woes

BUTLER, Ky. - After four and a half months of dealing with a tarp draped over the roof, cracked walls and insurance adjusters, the Sebastian family in Butler, Ky. is fed up.

"Horrible, terrible, stressful," said Jackie Sebastian about the condition of her house.

Her family home was ripped apart when wind from the fatal F-4 tornado stripped the roof of shingles and plywood. Walls are cracked, the ceilings leak when it rains, and she says black mold developed because of the lack of response from her insurance company.

"Because our house is in the condition it is in, I live with my daughter asking me, 'is our house going to fall down,'" Jackie Sebastian said.

Her husband, Mike, is frustrated with the situation.

"My daughter goes to her mom and cries that she's scared that the house is going to fall down, should we go in the basement, should we leave," he said.

The Sebastians said they suffered nearly $50,000 in damage, but have received only $34,000 from the insurer.  The money came initially as a $24,000 payment and then recently another $10,000 arrived, Jackie said.  She said those funds would only fix the cosmetics of the home and would not repair it.

The Sebastians claim that the tornado pulled the house off its foundation and cracked the cinder-block wall in the basement, but insurance adjusters are ignoring the foundational issue.

State Farm Insurance spokesperson Kip Diggs was unable to discuss this case in particular, but he explained by phone how an adjuster figures out the amount to be paid after an incident.

The insurance adjuster:
1. Looks at the damage
2. Determines how much damage was caused by the incident (fire, flood, tornado)
3. Determines how much damage was caused by other factors not related to incident.

Another adjuster arrived Thursday afternoon at the Sebastian residence.

"We are always willing to work with the customer and are more than willing to take another look," Diggs said.  "We realize we're not always going to agree and want to make sure our determinations are right and proper."

While the Sebastian's frustration is wearing thin, the process is ongoing.

"I want to be able to feel safe in my house when the wind blows and it rains," Jackie Sebastian said.

Should both sides not come to an agreement about adjustments made monetarily, Diggs did point out by email that State Farm is flexible.

"We are also willing to bring in outside authorities to help us to come to a determination when there is a question about whether or not damage to a building is claim-related," Diggs said.

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