NACOGDOCHES, TX (KTRE) -
Approximately 9 small earthquakes hit the
Deep East Texas area within a year time span. None of the earthquakes were ever above a 5.0 magnitude but they were still enough to shake up residents.
Now these recent earthquakes in Deep East Texas
and the anticipation of possibly more occurring have opened up a new type of
business for homeowner insurance agencies.
"We
have people inquiring about it quite often, especially in the Tenaha, Timpson
and Garrison areas," Kerry Vaught, the owner of a Farmers Insurance agency,
said.
It's where several quakes occurred last
year. Regular homeowner policies don't cover damages.
When numerous calls poured in after the
first quakes, Vaught began searching for policies offered by carriers as far
away as California.
"I called probably a dozen different
companies," Vaught said. "Then the earthquakes quit and the calls died
down."
Then another quake hit sending Vaught back
to the computer. Turned off by expensive policies, he followed a tip by a
customer badly wanting coverage. He's
secured a Dallas company offering reasonable rates.
"Every home is different, but it's in the
neighborhood of $350 for a year's worth of earthquake coverage and it covers
earthquakes only," Vaught said.
Vaught doesn't want anybody to make a claim
on earthquake coverage, but he does believe certain homeowners in certain parts
of the county will benefit from the coverage.
"Who would have thought that we would be
out looking for insurance coverage for earthquake," Fran Crownover, an
earthquake policy holder, said.
Crownover, who lives in Garrison, didn't
receive home damage, but neighbors and friends around her did. She tipped Vaught
off to the company, fulfilling her desire to purchase it through her local
agent.
"Hopefully this never happens again, but
it's kind of like that piece of mind when you have good medical coverage,"
Crownover said. "We do know we have the coverage for it."
Crownover is learning from earthquake
Web sites, the coverage may someday be needed.
"Friends of mine have sent me the links,
and it will show you all the zones in this area," Crownover said.
While Crownover didn't receive any damage
to her home as a result of the earthquakes, one of them did lead to an injury.
During one earthquake, she tripped over her frightened dog, which caused her to
fall and break her hip.
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