UP offers flood insurance tips on what’s covered, what’s not
UP offers flood insurance tips on what’s covered, what’s not

According to United Policyholders, a homeowner’s policy covers falling and rain-driven water, so if the storm created any breaks in the house exterior — holes in the roof, broken windows, penetrated seals through which rain fell or through which wind drove rain inside — there…
6 Months After High Park Fire Insurance Woes Loom Large
6 Months After High Park Fire Insurance Woes Loom Large

On the 6 month anniversary of the High Park Fire, life is different and challenges abound. Challenges like working through the labyrinth of insurance claims. 259 homes were destroyed by the High Park Fire. Dale and Marilyn Snyder were among them. They didn’t think they…
Manitou business owners wade through muck to assess losses
Manitou business owners wade through muck to assess losses

More than 20 businesses suffered losses from the flood that swept through Manitou Springs on Friday and owners say some may not reopen for up to two weeks as they clean up damage. Many of the shops in the 700 block of Manitou Avenue and…
Lack of insurance an issue after Manitou flood
Lack of insurance an issue after Manitou flood

Many of the businesses in Manitou Springs that suffered losses in Friday’s devastating flood didn’t have flood insurance because they couldn’t get it for their location or couldn’t afford it, said an official from iManitou, the city’s chamber of commerce, economic development office and visitor’s…
Flood Insurance Workshop To Be Held Monday Night
Flood Insurance Workshop To Be Held Monday Night

Devastating flooding in the Pikes Peak region has hammered home the importance of having flood insurance. So many people in El Paso and Teller counties have been suffered–in some cases again and again–after an especially harsh monsoonal pattern season. Those living near the Waldo Canyon…
Flashpoint: Living with wildfire
Flashpoint: Living with wildfire
Insuring yourself against water calamity can make your head spin
Insuring yourself against water calamity can make your head spin

On the other side of the country, home after home is rotting, left much the same as the day after Hurricane Sandy landed in 2012. These are the houses of those who never bought flood insurance, which must be purchased separately from regular homeowner’s insurance.…
The Black Forest Fire has attracted insurance pros — for better and worse
The Black Forest Fire has attracted insurance pros — for better and worse

The flier called it a “Town Hall Meeting for Black Forest Fire Residents.” But this wasn’t a town hall in the traditional sense. No elected official or governmental staff member was scheduled to speak. El Paso County officials, in fact, say they had nothing to…
Help is on the way for Waldo victims
Help is on the way for Waldo victims

With the Waldo Canyon Fire having wiped out 345 homes last summer, it appears Colorado Springs and El Paso County are working on ways to help homeowners figure out how to work with their insurance companies and prepare for the next disaster. First, the latter.…
Waldo victims organize their own insurance assistance
Waldo victims organize their own insurance assistance

Colorado Springs Together was envisioned as a clearinghouse for Waldo Canyon Fire victims, a place to turn to for their every need. Except, apparently, insurance advocacy. “What we’ve tried to do is kind of keep a distance, avoid getting in the middle of the policyholder-insurance…
Free insurance workshop next week for Black Forest residents
Free insurance workshop next week for Black Forest residents

El Paso County will host free insurance help workshop next week lead by United Policyholders, a non-profit insurance advocacy group that has given workshops to victims of the Waldo Canyon, High Park and Four Mile Canyon fires. The workshop will be on July 8, and…
Larimer County’s next Roadmap to Recovery to address social and emotional aspects of High Park Fire’s one-year anniversary
Larimer County’s next Roadmap to Recovery to address social and emotional aspects of High Park Fire’s one-year anniversary

Larimer County’s seventh Roadmap to Recovery meeting for High Park and Woodland Heights Fire survivors will cover topics including legal issues, expiration of ALE benefits and the social and emotional aspects of the fire’s one-year anniversary. Speakers are Karen Reimus, disaster recovery aid for United…
Many claims from Waldo Canyon fire still aren’t finalized
Many claims from Waldo Canyon fire still aren’t finalized

About 11 months after the Waldo Canyon fire destroyed 347 homes and damaged dozens of others, many homeowners had not completed a list of the items they lost. They were pushing a one-year insurance claim deadline that the Legislature decided to keep intact when it…
New consumer protections may not apply to fire victims
New consumer protections may not apply to fire victims

As Black Forest families who lost homes in the fire begin filing out insurance claims, they should know that state law has changed to protect them. House Bill 1225, which was signed into law last month, requires insurance companies offer policies that pay for living…
Last year’s fire victims offer a shoulder at disaster recovery center
Last year’s fire victims offer a shoulder at disaster recovery center

When Suzanne and Breck Swanson turned on the television on Wednesday, they watched their retirement home on Vessey Road explode in flames. With it went Suzanne’s sense of control, and all ideas of what to do next. But the next day at the El Paso…
United Policyholders to Hold Post Waldo Canyon Fire Insurance Meeting
United Policyholders to Hold Post Waldo Canyon Fire Insurance Meeting

El Paso County will host United Policyholders as it presents a “A Roadmap to Recovery: Workshop for Waldo Canyon Fire Survivors. The meeting is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, at Centennial Hall Auditorium, 200 S. Cascade. Topics of the workshop include…
Fire report’s release stirs residents’ emotions, memories
Fire report’s release stirs residents’ emotions, memories

Residents of northwest Colorado Springs had a mix of reactions last week to the city’s review of the fire, often focusing on issues and emotions that continue to sometimes overwhelm them. Their memories of the June fire are vivid: many choke with gratitude when they…
High Park Fire Insurance Payouts a Slap in the Face
High Park Fire Insurance Payouts a Slap in the Face

Wildfire victims say insufficient policies and unrealistic deadlines are impeding rebuilding efforts.Homeowner insurance protection: What would it do?• Expand the time allowed to submit an inventory of destroyed property to an insurer.• Require insurers to award claims for a percentage of destroyed property without submissoin…