Texas Auto Insurance Disaster Recovery FAQs

Common Questions Regarding Texas weather disasters and your Auto Insurance:

The flood washed my car away, how do I find it?

In the state of Texas you need to contact the Unclaimed Autos Department of your local police department. Another possibility, is that your vehicle was towed to a storage facility. If the vehicle was towed without your permission, and the storage lot is trying to charge you a fee, we recommend contacting the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles at 888-368-4689.

How do I know if my vehicle / auto is covered for flood damage?

The first place you want to look at is the copy of your auto insurance policy, provided by your insurance carrier.  Your insurance policy’s declarations page will list if you have comprehensive coverage.  Comprehensive coverage, other than collision coverage, would cover fire or flood damage.  This type of coverage is not on liability only policies.

If my vehicle is damaged by a flood or fire and, I only have liability coverage, can I get any financial help?

The only time you might receive additional support is if the state of Texas or, your county in Texas has been declared a disaster area.  In that event, your liability only insurance policy will still not provide you any assistance but, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), may provide you with some funding to get your car back in working order.

My car was beat up in the tornadoes. How will my insurance company determine if my car should be totaled?

Insurance companies decide to “total” a vehicle, one vehicle at a time or on a case by case basis. Normally, a vehicle is totaled when the cost of repair plus the salvage value equals or exceeds the actual cash value of the vehicle prior to the loss.  As a benchmark, if the water covered your dashboard or electrical parts of the car, the car would be totaled.

My insurance company determined my vehicle a total loss but, I want to keep it.

In the case of a total loss, you and your insurance company would need to come to an agreement in which you may keep the salvaged vehicle. However, you would then be responsible for the cost of repairs and would be subject to the laws regarding retained salvage vehicles.

When disaster strikes. things can get very stressful.  For the best service and to get all your auto insurance questions answered call your agent or, call Wessell Insurance Services, llc.