PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. — Some Kansas City-area residents continued to pick up the tree limbs left in their yard after a storm last Friday, while others face a much larger cleanup effort.
Reese Naftel and his wife moved into their Prairie Village oasis four years ago. They wanted house, in part, because of the shade trees.
“That’s the problem, the good thing and the bad thing about Prairie Village,” Naftel said, while pointing to the downed tree on his fence. “You have all of these old trees.”
The massive limbs broken from his tree remain on the ground of his property.
“There’s a whole laundry list of things that have to be done,” Naftel said. “So we are just checking it off one thing at a time and trying to get through the best we can.”
Near the top of his list was contacting his insurance agent to file a claim.
Megan Considine, a Kansas City-area insurance agency owner and broker, said a quick call after a storm should be your first step.
“I don’t expect any of my clients to have a full understanding of the intricacies of an insurance policy, because it’s a very complex product,” Considine said.
She said policy holders should know the basics of their policy so the cost a surprise storm doesn’t surprise them.
“The most important thing when it comes to insurance is, making sure you had an extensive conversation with your agent about what’s covered, what’s not covered, what your deductible is for certain situations," Considine said.
Considine says her team got countless calls after the storm, many asking what to do next.
When it comes down to who’s on the hook for trees landing on homes and fences, Considine said typically if a tree lands on your property, no matter where it came from, it’s your responsibility.
But after every storm, each person’s situation is different.
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