While the wrath of Hurricane Irene still lingers—with more claims raising costs to the industry—my woes with a flooded basement and mountains of wet “stuff” are almost a memory.

This is all thanks to my insurance company, Amica, rated high in customer service—and I can see why. As you may recall, I noted that despite the water-pumping efforts of our local fire department, we still ended up with 10 inches of water in the basement. On Sunday afternoon I left a message with Amica and received a call back within a few hours. On Monday Amica called, saying a cleanup crew had been scheduled for Wednesday.

That day I stayed home to assist with the cleanup. There were four very professional workmen at the house for most of the day. They hauled anything that was damaged or ruined up the stairs and out to the driveway and checked every corner and container for water. When they left, three huge fans and a dehumidifier were humming away in the basement.

It was a beautiful thing.

Within a few days the basement was completely dry. The most joyous moment was when an Amica representative called. She told me the cleanup crew had emailed a number of photos detailing the damage, which included the removal of soggy drywall. She said she was able to determine the extent of the damage and would pay the policy in full.

Truly a beautiful thing!

We carted out some destroyed wood shelving, replacing it with metro wire restaurant-type shelving—with wheels even—purchased at Costco. Items in the basement are still being sorted through. We even had a nice load of things for our local animal shelter. Old sheets and towels—they always welcome those—and a number of cans of cat food, from our 19-year-old cat who recently passed away.

While we were not covered by flood insurance, what we do have is a sump pump rider on the homeowner's policy. In fact, a broker I was talking to recently said this rider is the best thing a homeowner (with a sump pump) can have. It pays, even when flood insurance doesn't.

Once again, life is good. But please, no more hurricanes!

Special Reports /

Insurance Makes The Difference With Irene

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