By Paul Tuthill
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Springfield, MA – The latest tally of the claims filed for the June 1st tornadoes by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance shows damage has topped 175 million dollars. This makes it one of the costliest natural disasters in Massachusetts in recent memory. WAMC"s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.
The 175 million dollars represents more than 95 hundred individual insurance claims. The majority are claims filed by homeowners, but that figure does include auto insurance claims, and commercial property losses totaling 35 million dollars, according to Barbara Anthony, Undersecretary of the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation..
Anthony said her office would keep an eye on insurance companies in the coming months as new rates are set in the communities hit hardest by the tornadoes to make sure people are not overcharged, or denied coverage because they filed claims.
Anthony said her office continues to hear of fly-by-night contractors soliciting tornado repair business.
The Division of Insurance issued a recent consumer alert regarding public adjusters. Public adjusters offer to negotiate with insurance companies for a fee . But Anthony says public adjusters often wildly overpromise on what they deliver.
People who have losses not covered by insurance, such as the cost of tree removal, if the tree did not fall on their house, may be able get money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the Small Business Administration, thanks to the federal disaster declaration that was issued two weeks after the storms.
Daniel Llargues is a spokesman for FEMA. The agency reports it has approved more than 2 point five million dollars in direct assistance to people impacted by the tornados. The SBA has approved 27 loans, totaling almost 1 point four million dollars. The deadline to apply for a disaster loan is August 15th
FEMA is still operating four disaster assistance centers , located in West Springfield, Springfield, Monson and Southbridge.