Waldo Canyon Wildfire:What We Learned From a Total

Loss of Our Home

Howard L. DonaldsonPresent (Temporary) Home: 80920

Back to the Future: 2615 Rossmere Street 80919

OVERVIEW• Mitigate, Mitigate, Mitigate

• Homeowner’s Insurance/Black Forest Fire

• Document, Document, Document

• Epilogue: Final Thoughts

Mitigate, Mitigate, Mitigate

• Read/heed the new Fire Code Provisions– Examples– Why they are vitally important

• Consult Fire Department experts: follow their advice completely

• Eliminate/minimize Dangerous Growth• Bottom Line: Try to ensure grass fires remain

grass fires

Homeowner’s Insurance• Can’t Have Too Much—But KNOW what you have

BEFORE you need it• Call Policy Service Experts NOW, and ask:– “In the event of a total loss, what would you pay?”– “What is Coverage A; B; C; D? How are they related?

How did you determine amount of A?”– “What is ACV? RCV? Depreciation?”– “What other coverage do I have? Code changes? TLE?

Inflation Protection? Debris removal/demo?”

• What happens if/when you are underinsured?

Black Forest Fire

• Huge Problem: Too many homeowners are significantly UNDERINSURED

• Reason: ALL coverage categories are a percentage of “Coverage A” (Dwelling) . . .

• . . . If that is inadequate, cumulative effect throughout . . . With tragic consequences

• Examples

Document, Document, Document

• Burden MAY be on you to establish “Scope of Loss”—the VALUE of the property destroyed

• That means you MAY have to prove EVERYTHING you owned . . . AND their values– Appraisals and Receipts—HHGs inventories from

previous moves– Video Recordings– Photographs: one picture is worth a thousand

words . . . And maybe even thousands of dollars

Epilogue: Final Thoughts• Have a Personal Preparedness Plan• First Responders• Colorado Springs Community– www.coloradospringstogether.org– Merchants/fellow citizens

• What if your Insurance Company balks? Is a “Public Adjuster” the answer?

• Will you need to involve an attorney?• Community Assisting Recovery—“CARe, Inc.”

www.carehelp.org