When an F-0 tornado hit The Colony Tuesday morning, it didn't level entire neighborhoods, but it did damage homes. Now, some homeowners are finding out they will be picking up the bill.
"It's going to cost me probably a little over $1,000," Kathleen Phairis said, looking at a tree that fell on their neighbor's roof. "F-0, there's still damage, but not enough damage to have your insurance company come out here and help."
Phairis said it's not enough to meet her deductible.
The Texas Department of Insurance says homeowners insurance covers tornado damage up to the extent of the policy, except for homes at the coast, which have the option to purchase additional insurance for hurricane damage.
"Very stressful for me right now," said The Colony homeowner Jose Cuartas, as he looked at a large downed tree in his yard. "Looks like I'm in the jungle right now."
Cuartas said he was still waiting for his insurance to kick in.
"I haven't got the response that I was expecting from them," Cuartas said. "So I'm not in the 'good hands' that they say."
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In large-scale disasters, there is generally aide on the local, state and federal levels, but there's a threshold to get that aide. On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott filed an appeal for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide individual disaster assistance for victims of the Dec. 26 tornado that leveled parts of Rowlett and Garland.
Most of the time, tornado repairs are left to homeowners and their insurance coverage.
"You have to pay for it to get it out of your yard and off of people's houses," said Phairis. "Being here in Texas for all these years I always have the thought it could happen, because it does."
