Examine your protection – Houston storm victims ought to contact provider, dealer says – Go Well being Professional

4 persons are lifeless and practically 1 million houses and companies have been with out energy Friday after extreme thunderstorms battered the Houston space and elements of Louisiana.

The storms, which hit the realm Thursday, included hurricane-force winds that toppled timber and transmission towers and blew home windows out of downtown buildings, in response to a report by the Related Press.

The storms have introduced town to a digital standstill, with college canceled for greater than 400,000 college students and metropolis crews scrambling to clear fallen timber and restore energy. Metropolis officers urged Houston residents to not go to work Friday until they’re thought-about important staff. Residents have additionally been urged to remain off the roads, lots of that are flooded, the AP reported.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire mentioned throughout a Thursday evening briefing that wind speeds had reached 100mph in the course of the storm, and a few tornadoes had been noticed. He mentioned the excessive winds have been harking back to Hurricane Ike, which hit the realm in 2008.

Charlene Okenkpu, consumer companies supervisor and licensed insurance coverage agent at TGS Insurance coverage Company in Houston, advised Insurance coverage Enterprise that the company had been unusually busy since opening at 8am Friday as shoppers known as for assist with insurance coverage points.

Okenkpu suggested shoppers to test their coverages earlier than doing anything.

“They need to attain out to both their dealer or provider on to inquire on the declare first earlier than submitting to ensure the injury exceeds their deductible,” she mentioned.

Okenkpu mentioned the TGS workplace had weathered the storm efficiently.

“We’re positive. We have been caught within the constructing yesterday till the tornadoes handed,” she mentioned. “Quite a lot of us are nonetheless with out energy. A few of us weren’t in a position to get in at the moment due to timber within the highway.”

Whitmer mentioned in the course of the Thursday briefing that 4 folks had died in the course of the storm. No less than two deaths have been brought on by falling timber, and one other occurred when sturdy winds blew a crane over, the AP reported.

The storms weren’t over as of Friday. The AP reported that Gulf Coast states might proceed to see scattered, extreme thunderstorms with tornadoes, excessive winds and hail. Flood watches and warnings have been nonetheless in impact for Houston and areas to the east as of Friday.

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