Tornado victims uninsured

3rd August, 2005

One in two victims of the recent tornado that swept through a Birmingham street did not have adequate home insurance, it is claimed.

Nearly 750 uninsured homeowners will be forced to meet the costs of rebuilding their homes by themselves, reports the Telegraph.

Help with paying for the damage will be provided to victims in the form of interest-free loans from Birmingham city council. With the bill for damages to property expected to run into the thousands, and some properties being bulldozed altogether, the need for home insurance is drastically emphasised.

'Clearly the council can't take full responsibility where people are uninsured; if we did that no one would take out insurance and we would end up repairing every damaged house in the city,' Stephen Hughes, Birmingham city council's strategic resources director told the paper.

'There are estimates that up to one in two houses may not have insurance but there are no accurate figures yet.

'We will ask the Government to help out in providing these loans but it will take them a while to agree, so in the meantime we will hand them out ourselves because people have to be able to get on with their lives.

'This is a tragic situation. If you have been in your property and lost everything, that is a major personal set back,' he added.

Freak weather conditions can ruin or damage homes at any time, shown also by the recent flash floods that have wreaked havoc in areas of the UK.

Home insurance gives homeowners piece of mind that they will not be left to cope alone with large repair bills when these events happen.

 

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