Ten Things About Your Insurance That Your Insurance Company May Not Want You to Know

	by Ray Bourhis Bourhis & Wolfson The average American spends thousands of dollars per year of insurance. Homeowners, automobile, medical, life, business, disability, umbrella and other coverages. Because most of us never suffer the large losses that everyone worries about, people have very little experience in dealing with insurance companies on large claims. Those that do are often in for a bit of a shock. Delay, the use of complex policy language to deny claims, and substantial underestimating of losses by carriers are common. Many people don't realize that insurance companies, like banks, earn their profits from investments, stocks, bonds, venture capital and real estate. The profitability of a company depends on how much money they have available to invest. If a company owes X million to all claimants at a given point in time, it can save 8% or more of that per year in investment profits by merely engaging in delay. It can save another 30 to 40% by engaging in lowballing. Another 20 to 30% can be saved by wrongful claim denials on confusing policy language. Whether an uninsured will recover for a legitimate claim at all, and if so, the amount he or she will be paid, depend largely on the policyholder's own knowledge of his or her rights and responsibilities. Policyholders are often at the mercy of their insurance company. The company wrote the policy, the company interprets the policy, the company evaluates the claim and the company holds the money. So the policyholder is really at a substantial disadvantage to the insurer. However, there are ways to begin to level the proverbial playing field. To do so, you must familiarize yourself with important principles of insurance law which judges and legislators have fashioned over the years for your protection. Here are ten such principles: 1. An insurance company must act in utmost good faith in the interpretation of their policies, and in the investigation and payment of claims. It is unlawful for an insurer to engage in unreasonable delay; to put their financial interests ahead of the financial interests of the policyholder; or to lowball (underpay) claims. They cannot use deception or trickery in sales or claims handling. They cannot compel an insured to hire an attorney in order to be paid what they are owed. They must be fair to their policyholders. The violation of any of these standards is a violation of the duty of good faith which the law imposes on insurance companies. It exposes the carrier to potentially significant damages. 2. If an insurance company unreasonably denies a claim or breaches its duty of "Good Faith and Fair Dealing," and you must sure them in order to recover your policy benefits, the insurance company must pay for your legal costs and attorney's fees. If the attorney's fees and other damages were not available, the policyholder could not be made whole and the insurer would be able to under-settle claims merely by arguing that they are offering more to settle that than what the uninsured would net on the actual value of the claims, after payment of their legal fees. If an insurer makes this argument to you in an effort to underpay, thank them in advance for offering to pay your costs and attorney's fees. That is exactly what they doing by engaging in such conduct. 3. If an insurance agent misrepresents the coverage being provided at the time the agent sells you your policy, the insurance company will have to honor the coverage representations made by their agent. Insurance agents are really nice. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to sell you any policies. The same is true for claims adjusters. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to settle any claims. It is important to distinguish these nice individuals from the company itself. The purpose of an insurance company is not to be nice, but to make money for its stockholders. If it makes more money than expected, the stock goes up. If it makes less money than expected, the stock goes down. When the stock goes up, executives are given bonuses. When the stock goes down, they are given headaches. The name of the game in the home office begins with the word "profits." Don't ever forget this. When the home office trains agents or claims adjusters they don't tell them to be sinister. There are no conventions at which agents are taught to misrepresent coverage and adjusters are taught low-balling techniques. What does happen, however, is that agents are told very little about the policies they are selling. They may know something about what is covered, but they know very little about what is not. If you were to spend the rest of your life talking to insurance agents about policies they are selling, you would probably not find a single agent who would be able to simply pull out a policy and explain it. The truth is that agents don't understand policies. They just sell them. Most agents won't even show you a copy of the policy they are urging you to buy. If you ever see a policy at all, it will probably be sent to you in the mail directly by the insurance company days, or weeks, after you have purchased the insurance. So at the time of sale, you don't know what you are buying other than what the company or agent promotional or sales pitch conveys to you. 4. If the amount of your insurance coverage is not sufficient to cover your actual loss because the insurance agent recommended that you insure for less than the amount you actually needed, the insurance company may be responsible for paying your entire loss, not just the amount of the policy benefits. For example, when an individual purchases business property or homeowner's insurance, they will often ask the agent what the policy limits should be before the particular property in question. Sometimes, the agent, in attempting to give you the lowest premium bid possible (in order to beat out the competition), will underinsure the property, (e.g. insuring a property for $600,000 that would cost $800,000 to replace) thus lowering the premium quoted. Perhaps the agent rationalizes that the policy contains a "replacement guarantee" anyway. The problem is that replacement coverage is useless unless you actually rebuild the property with "like, kind and quality: of what was destroyed. In the event of catastrophic loss, many policyholders decide to take their insurance payment and buy elsewhere, rather than actually rebuilding. In that case the underinsured policyholder loses a bundle. Moreover, personal property and business property are usually insured under these policies as a percentage of the face value of the policy, not a percentage of the replacement value of the property. Therefore an underinsured policyholder is uninsured for both the building coverage and the personal or business proper coverage. This is another good reason to take notes when you buy your policy in the first place, and to keep these notes in your insurance file. If the limit which your purchased were recommended by the insurance agent and they are insufficient, you are entitled to be paid for all losses on the basis of what your limits should have been. 5. Any ambiguity in your policy must be interpreted in your favor and against the insurance company. Take a look at this paragraph from a State Farm homeowners' policy: "We do not insure under any coverage for loss consisting of one or more of the items below: a. conduct, act, failure to act, or decision of any person, group, organization or governmental body whether intentional, wrongful, negligent or without fault; b. defect, weakness, inadequacy, failure unsoundness in: (1) planning, zoning, development surveying, siting; (2) design, specifications, workmanship, construction, grading, compassion; (3) materials used in construction or repair; or (4) maintenance; of any property (including land, structures, or improvements of any kind) whether on or off the residence premises." Every insurance company has a Mad Hatter Department. This Department is in fierce competition with its counterparts at other insurance companies to see who can write the most incomprehensible and loophole-filled gobbledygook in the industry. I'm convinced that insurance companies have secret awards dinners at which bonuses are given to those who have written the most obtuse, self-canceling phrases of the year. The reason policies are so incomprehensible is not because insurance companies cannot find people who can write in plain English. It is because the companies know that the less clear the policy is, the less clear their obligation to pay will be. So they write policies that they have to obtain "coverage opinions" on from law firms to whom they pay hefty fees to explain what they have written. Believe it or not, even these lawyers are often wrong. You can turn this confusion from a disadvantage to you and into an advantage by simply showing that an applicable provision is ambiguous. If it is, coverage must be provided, and the claim must be paid. 6. The insurance company, not the policyholder, has the obligation of providing the applicability of a "limitation" or "exclusion" in the policy. Insurance policies typically contain a very brief "insuring clause" describing what's covered. Dozens of paragraphs and thousands of words are then spent listing exclusions, exceptions and limitations. When a large claim occurs, insurance companies want to be able to write a letter to their policyholder denying coverage by quoting from one or more of the "exclusions." The bottom line will be that they sure would like to pay your claim, but golly darn, they just can't. Many insureds will either accept what they are being told or will seek advice from someone in the insurance industry or from a lawyer who doesn't specialize in this field. As a result, many legitimate claims go either unpaid or severely underpaid. What you should know is that the insurance company, not you, has the burden of proving that an exclusion or limitation in the policy is (1) clear, (2) conspicuous and (3) applicable. The shifting of this "burden" concerning exclusions - to the insurers - is contrary to the usual rule of the law that the party making the claim is the one who hears this burden. Because most policyholders are unaware of this rule, insurance companies often avoid paying legitimate claims based on exclusions that, if challenged, the exclusions, to the company. 7. In cases involving your insurance company's duty to defend, its duty to defend is broader than its duty to indemnify. The liability portion of every business, homeowner, auto or similar insurance policy is the portion of the policy that protects you from lawsuits by others. It requires the insurance company to pay your legal defense costs and fees if you are sued. Sometimes an insurance company will say that it doesn't have to defend you because you have been sued for something that is not specifically covered in the policy. It must also defend you in any situation which potentially seeks covered damages. For example, if a complain filed against you does not see damages within the scope of your overage but is capable of being amended or modified to include such damages, your insurer must defend. Furthermore, if the insurance company learns of facts from any source which would trigger coverage (not just the complaint itself), it must also defend you. In addition, it must defend where the policyholder has a reasonable expectation that it will do so. If there are multiple causes of action in the complaint against you, let's say that you were sued in a complaint alleging both negligence, breach of contract and intentional misconduct, then if the insurance company must defend any of those causes of action, it must defend all of them. If an insurance company that has a duty to defend in a particular case refuses to do so, then it may well be responsible for all resulting damages, including payment of the amount of any judgment entered against you, or of any settlement (including collusive or fraudulent.) 8. An insurance company that tries to rescind (eliminate) your policy coverage once you have made a claim, on the grounds that you made a misrepresentation on your insurance application, may be violating the law. This point can be complicated. Just remember that some policy application questions are very, very broad. For example, on a health care policy application, you may be asked to "list all of the physicians you have seen during the past five years." Or, "have you ever been treated for diabetes, cancer, heart disease, head injury or pain." Note that such a question is tricky. If an agent asks this question verbally, most people will think in terms of important medical visits or serious conditions. They will not think of every doctor they have seen during the past five ears and may not focus on treatment for tension headaches, which technically fall within the latter question as "head injury or pain." After fifteen or twenty questions all containing numerous sub-parts people tend to glaze over somewhat. So when the agent slides an application across the table one assumes that the answers the agent has written down are accurate. They sign under a declaration citing penalty of perjury. I have seen many insurance companies later try to escape paying a large claim by accusing a policyholder of trying to defraud them by obtaining insurance under false pretenses. They point out solemnly that doing so is illegal. Some people become so frightened that they give up their claim. If you are innocent of any wrongdoing, don't give in to such tactics. There are three important principles to remember on this subject: (1) Read all policy applications yourself and read them skeptically; (2) Don't fall for a bluff when an insurance company tries to rescind. If you have been honest, stand up for yourself and fight it. You will probably win and will wind up proving that the insurance company was engaging in bad faith as well by trying to take away your coverage after the claim occurred; and (3) There are "incontestability periods" in most policies and under the law. That means that beyond a particular date (e.g. two years), the company can no longer rescind the policy for an alleged misstatement on the application. When they try to rescind, don't rollover, examine the situation carefully. 9. Punitive damages are awardable against insurance companies of engaging in oppressive, fraudulent or malicious conduct. Use this fact in negotiations where applicable. Insurance companies love to tell anyone who will listen that punitive damages are a terrible and unwarranted things, a concept cooked up by lawyer parasites to get rich off innocent, misunderstood insurance companies. Don't buy it. Punitive damages are the only thing that prevents insurance companies from engaging in even more outrageous bad faith conduct than they already do. If a given insurance company has, let's say $100 million, in valid claims that have been made, it knows that its investment profits on this money alone will likely exceed $15 million per year. It also knows that if it merely delays, long enough, many insureds (particularly if they are ill or have lost substantial assets or property) will substantially under-settle their claims. If they have died during the delay, the company may never have to pay. In addition, the company knows that if it wrongfully denies the claims, many policyholders will not be willing or able to fight them. Last, even as to those who do fight, insurers know that most people will not be willing or able to fight them. Last, even as to those who do fight, insurers know that most people will probably wind up with a lawyer who knows little about insurance law or who doesn't have the financial capacity to fight a multi-billion dollar industry with an infinite supply of lawyers. Therefore, instead of just paying out the money to policyholders to whom it is owed, an aggressive insurance company can keep much of the money owed, and can earn even more back on investments made during the delay period. So that little, or none of the actual money owed is ever paid. The insurers also know how difficult it is to recover punitive damages in courts these days. Punitive damages are disfavored by judges and juries alike. If you are going to recover punitive damages against an insurance company, you had better have some very persuasive evidence or the judge will not even permit the issue to go to the jury in the first place. If punitive damages do go to the jury and the case is not extremely strong, the jury will toss you out the door. In addition, if punitive damages are awarded, the judge can reduce them. Finally, the insurance company can appeal the verdict. So the insurance company has quite a bit going for it in avoiding ever having got pay a substantial punitive damages award. The rarity of punitive damages awards that actually stick, makes it very important that such an award be appropriate in light of the conduct and wealth of the particular insurance company. For years, insurers have been trying to get state legislatures or Congress to cap punitive damages at say, $300,000 or $400,000. That sounds like alot of money until you look at the figures. If you must deter someone with a bank balance of $500 million from making money illegally, it would certainly not be too much to award one to ten percent - to make it less profitable to engage in the legal practice. Naturally, an insurance company is not going to be deterred by smaller amounts. But if you take the same percentage, 4%, or 5% and apply it to an insurance company with a net surplus (beyond reserves and expenses) of $800 million, then punitive award comes to $40 million. There are very few $40 million or more punitive damage awards upheld against insurance companies. But a $300,000 or $400,000 cap would be laughable to a multi-million dollar insurance giant. They would continue with business as usual, because the illegal profits earned would be far greater than the potential damages threatened. In any event, the prospect of punitive damages can give you as the Insurance consumer, important leverage to encourage an insurance company to treat you fairly in the first place. That is really what punitive damages are for, to make an insurance company think twice before ignoring the law. The companies realize that even those who know the least about insurance law may happen to wind up in the hands of a lawyer who, after subpoenaing the claims file, and fighting through fifty or so depositions, obtains the evidence necessary to ask a jury to set an example. This fact can be helpful for you to know when trying to negotiate a fair claim settlement on your own behalf. 10. You can usually get free legal advice from an insurance law expert so that you know your rights before you talk to your company, rather than after it is too late. Lawyers who take on these insurance bad faith cases have to evaluate them carefully beforehand. These cases are usually taken on a percentage or contingency fee with the lawyer advancing all the costs. The cases had better be good ones or the lawyer will soon be out of business. Therefore, a great deal of time is spent giving free legal analysis to insureds, whether a case is ever filed or not. Use this to your advantage to get free advice regarding your claim. Make certain that the lawyer you are getting the advice from is truly an expert in this field. Seek a referral to a specialist from a lawyer friend, and question the attorney thoroughly before relying on his or her options. Obviously you should make sure that the expert insurance lawyer does not specialize in representing insurance companies. As mentioned earlier you are spending a great deal of money every year on insurance. Be aware that to get what you're paying for, against this industry, you have to know something about your rights. Store this article with your insurance papers. If the insurance underwriters were right in their projections, you will never need to review it because like most people you will never have a large claim. Remember that protecting yourself and your family starts but does not end with this information. When it comes to insurance, Caveat Emptor is always the rule!
	This page was a reproduction for educational and informational purposes only.   Original by: Bourhis & Wolfson Insurance Law and Policyholder Representation 1050 Battery Street, San Francisco, California 94111 info@bourhis-wolfson.com

Say "Thank you" to your team of Professionals

We at Roofing Professionals of Texas would like you, our consumer base, to be aware of who will be at your home or place of business in reference  to your roofing needs.  Below is a list of our in house staff that will likely respond to your roofing needs:

Vice President
Residential Construction

Victoria Tarkowski
469-331-6080

Director of Claims

VACANT
469-906-2600 Ext. 102

OC Steep Slope, Quality Control 

Joseph Hester, Field Technical Specialist
Product and Programs, Roofing R&A Asphalt (west central)
214-636-4365

Quality Control/Punch Mechanic

Legal/Code Complaince

Joshiwa Justiin, III
469-298-9908

Chief Counsel

Michael Cramer
469-298-9908

Project Manager

Project Manager 

Debra Harris

(Asst. Project Manager)

469-906-2600

President
Commercial Construction 

Freddie Reinwald
469-906-2600

Contract Consultant

Shane K. Clement
469-298-9908

Accounting Department

To accommodate our deaf consumer base we have retained 

an in house Sign Language Interpreter and Instructor

Paul J.

469-906-2600

469-906-2600

www.roofingprotx.com

Roofing Professionals of Texas provides you with reliable roofing services and professionally warrantied work. You've got endless choices when in it comes to roofers, so you want to make sure you hire the right team. You can rest easy knowing that we do exceptional work that is timely and affordable.

Roofing Professionals of Texas 

469-906-2600 

www.roofingprotx.com

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Here we grow again! We're hiring in the DFW / N Texas Market, Amarillo / Borger Texas Market, Central and North Florida Market, Oklahoma City OK market!

Sales Professional - Roof Inspector, Damage assessment, Project Manager

Full-Time in  Ft. Worth, TX -  RES

Roofing Professionals of Texas is seeking qualified sales persons who are detail oriented, have strong organizational and have interpersonal skills to build a successful career within our company.

100% commission - Must have a ladder and ability to get on roofs

Must be able to work in a team atmosphere

Willing to learn? Daily Draws toward commissions

Must be out going, and able to make friends easily

Must provide your own transportation

100% commission - Must have a ladder and ability to get on roofs

Have your email address, your vehicle information, and best number to reach you at when you call in.

Required license or certification: driver’s license

What we expect:
* Must have a vehicle
* Must be capable of transporting a ladder
* Sales and customer service experience
* Self-motivated and driven
* Must have computer skills
* Great communication skills
* Work with a team
* Capable of cold call door knocking in lead areas

Requirements:

* Manage your schedule meet with customers and document system with sales

* Build trust and educate customers
* Identify customer needs and wants
* Manage your follow up on all customers and potential customers
* Identify and develop sales leads
* Negotiate and close the sale
* Submit proposals and contract documents on a timely basis
* Be able to multi-task and think outside the box
* Maintain a professional appearance and demeanor at all times.

Benefits:

What We Offer

This position is 100% pay per performance, however, we offer the most aggressive pay structure IN THE DALLAS / FORT WORTH / METRO-PLEX Guaranteed! 
* True "open book" 50/50 split on profit
* DAILY pay out on 1st check (ACV)
* Proactive earners get first placement on commercial and residential leads
* Pre-set appointments
* Aggressive commercial and residential telemarketing leads;

CLICK HERE TO APPLY https://roofing-professionals-of-texas.breezy.hr/p/841cebab81ac-sales-professional--roof-inspector--damage-assessment--project-manager 

Roofing Professionals of Texas provides you with reliable roofing services and professionally warrantied work. You've got endless choices when in it comes to roofers, so you want to make sure you hire the right team. You can rest easy knowing that we do exceptional work that is timely and affordable.

Roofing Professionals of Texas
469-906-2600
www.roofingprotx.com

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The information contained herein is provided "as is" and without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. Further, this information may include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Roofing Professionals of Texas may make improvements and/or changes in the products and/or the information described in this work at any time without notice. As such, changes may, without notice, be periodically added to this work.  Any questions, corrections, or comments concerning this work may be reported to Roofing Professionals of Texas at admin@roofingprotx.com. 

Please note, however, any feedback information, such as questions, corrections, comments, suggestions, ideas, or the like regarding the content of this work, or any Roofing Professionals of Texas work, shall be deemed to be non-confidential and Roofing Professionals of Texas shall have no obligation of any kind with respect to such information. Further, Roofing Professionals of Texas shall be free to use, disclose, reproduce and distribute such feedback information to others without limitation and Roofing Professionals of Texas shall be free to use any ideas, concepts, know-how or techniques contained in such feedback information for any purpose whatsoever including, without limitation, developing, manufacturing, and marketing products incorporating such information.

Do I need a professional Inspection?

As a property owner dealing with potential damages to your property, the first step is to get a clear understanding of whether or not your property has been impacted.  Choose Roofing Professionals of Texas to examine your property. 

1.       You should have your property inspected by an insured, state registered contractor BEFORE you call your insurance company to adjust the property. After a major storm the insurance company is going to be flooded by claims. By having your property looked at by contractor who specializes in storm damage, you and the insurance claims adjuster will know that the damage is legitimate. Claims adjusters are very busy after a storm. They have very limited time to inspect each property, a preinspection helps the adjuster move quicker and get to their next appointment on time. A storm restoration professional should be on site to assist the adjuster in locating all the visible damage. This helps property owners get their repairs faster, because your property won’t be subject to time consuming reinspections when undocumented damage is discovered.

2.       Remember that all roofers are not the same. Although many claim to be storm damage experts, there are few who are willing to make the commitment to become true specialist. There are many unique factors that are involved in storm restoration work. One of the most important is being able to identify what hail, and wind damage looks like. This sounds simple, but storm damages can look like many different things. Hail damage for instance can look JUST LIKE nail pops, mechanical damages, or algae or moss that has fallen off. It takes a trained eye and sense of touch to understand the differences in different types of damages. Along with an understanding of damages, the person inspecting your property needs to understand your states insurance regulations, building codes and the requirements and guidelines of your insurance company for your specific area of the country. Many people are unaware that insurance companies have different coverage guidelines in different areas of the country. Combining knowledge of these regulations, along with the knowledge of exteriors construction is what allows for an accurate accounting of damages. This accounting is an integral piece in making your property whole again while using the proper tools, and materials in as short a time as possible.

Once a trained roofing professional has inspected your property, you now have the necessary information to move forward with confidence. With the unquestionable knowledge, experience, and expertise of UASRC contractors, you can be confident in the information and advice you receive and therefore be confident in the decisions you make regarding your property.

Cordially,

Freddie Reinwald, President Roofing Professionals of Texas 9500 Ray White Rd. Suite 200, Ft. Worth, TX 76244 Corporate:  469-906-2600  Direct:          469-298-9908   Fax:               469-906-2601 admin@roofingprotx.com

Entrepreneurs Succeeded — But Only After Failing Once Before

Entrepreneurs Succeeded — But Only After Failing Once Before

… For Mark the hard-fought lesson of his first venture was that undercutting the competition on price isn’t necessarily a winning long-term business strategy. He bought Watko Roofing and Sheet Metal in Oregon back in the 80's to cater to commercial builders who needed roofing. No repairs, no custom work, no residential jobs — easy, he thought. “But it was all contractors looking for the cheapest possible bid,” Mark says. And lowball bids meant he couldn’t give customers his best work, which also meant most didn’t hire him a second time. Five years in and $300,000 in debt, Mark liquidated the company and took a day job.

In 1996, Mark decided to try owning a business again, launching Bogota Roofing & Sheet Metal. This time, instead of focusing on new construction, he offered repairs, reroofing, sheet metal work, seismic retrofitting and other custom services to commercial building owners. All the while, he stuck to his pricing, refusing to play the lowball game.

“There are people who shop at Nordstrom for its quality and service, and people who shop at Walmart for its prices,” Mark says. By earning the trust of the Nordstroms crowd, he’s built a $10 million company with customers in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California.

We have customers who have been with us for 20 years and continue to hire us.”

— Mark, Bogota Roofing

We are the Nordstroms of Roofing in DFW.

Summary Judgement GRANTED

So, its story time. A particular client, who will remain nameless, tried to scam us Easter of last year. Then, tried to play tough after she and her convicted child molesting common law POS husband tried to dispute the matter. That didn't last long. That particular client, who is crying broke, has 8 additional properties that are royalty locations for Oil and Gas. Meaning, she gets a royalty check every month from XTO Energy for them drilling on property she owns. I think Roofing Professionals of Texas will be in the oil and gas industry pretty soon. Energy Professionals of Texas has a nice ring to it. LOL. Anyway, it never pays to try and screw over people who try really hard to assist you in your time of need, considering that a large portion of our staff, (totaling 16 people) spent their entire Easter Sunday holiday at the clients home, as a holiday gift to the client. Forgoing our own holiday, religious and personal needs. By the way, Easter is on Sunday. So, we all worked on Easter, and on Sunday.

Then, it rained on Monday. However, on Tuesday, the clients common law husband contacted us and told us he has information that indicates that we installed second hand material on their roof. And that he wanted the ENTIRE roof torn off and replaced, free of charge. Oddly, we have photos and videos of the clients common law husband receiving the materials from the supplier. Not once, but twice. (We originally sent 3 tab to the home at their request, and he subsequently sent it back and requested an upgrade to architectural... part of the scam...) that he said he would pay the change order. Both deliveries were fully wrapped and palleted by the supplier. Direct from the manufacturer to supplier, supplier to the client. They paid the $7500 up front to keep us on the hook. This was a 65sq 10/12 roof in Arlington TX.

Mind you, its taken nearly a year to get it paid out, but, I NEVER GIVE UP. I am the most resilient and perseverant person you will ever meet. Both for a client, and unfortunately when the client tries to go south, against them. We at Roofing Professionals of Texas give our all to our consumer base, and when something goes wrong, we immediately address it. Also, when someONE goes wrong, we immediately address that too. As you can see below. This was today. If we help you and you try and screw us over, we will come after you and will not stop until the payment is satisfied in FULL. By the way, on Monday, the clients will be meeting with our attorneys to deposit the check. Or at least that's what they said today. I am kinda hoping that they don't. Ever since I was a little boy, I always wanted to be a J.R. Ewing kinda guy. This is unfortunate. Its even more unfortunate that people like this exist and prey on people like us. But hey, they found the right one.

Severe Weather in Texas, How to Prepare!

This is a repost from April 8, 2015

Originally written by By Suzanne Wiley, who is a volunteer contributor
American Red Cross

An old neighbor of mine—our houses three miles northeast of downtown Forth Worth—recounts the March 28, 2000 Fort Worth Tornado. She says, “The air was so still and the sky was green. It was quiet. Eerily quiet at first. A few pieces of paper were flying around the street. Then I heard it. We went inside and took shelter. After it was over, there was paper everywhere, covering the yard like there had been a heavy snowfall. Yeah, it was scary. Terrifying, really.”

Ten tornadoes hit North Texas that night. The Fort Worth Tornado ripped through neighborhoods in River Oaks, Camp Bowie and West 7th and then right through downtown. The Cash America Building, the Calvary Cathedral and the Bank One Building all sustained damaged. The Bank One building lost 3,000 windows. Two people died while trying to seek shelter. Eighty others were injured.

Though it doesn’t feel like it with winter making its last—and late—hoorah in North Texas, March 1 marked the start of meteorological spring. We face three months of the most unpredictable and possibly the most devastating weather of the year. In fact, long-range forecasts predict that March and April in Texas will be rainier and stormier than normal. Paul Patelok, who is a lead long-range forecaster at AccuWeather.com says, “I think we’re going to have a lot more tornadoes for the spring season compared to the last couple of years…”

In Texas, we don’t worry about just tornadoes, but also severe lighting, thunder and hail storms that can cause significant damage and even death. Time to get you and your family prepared for the upcoming spring storms.

Hailstorms happen when a thunderstorm produces hail 5 millimeters in diameter—a dime is twice that size—or larger. Texas sits in the “Hail Belt,” an area that experiences the worst hailstorms in the country. In 1995, a horrible hailstorm hit Fort Worth’s May Fest, causing $2 million dollars in damage and injuring 100 people. In March 2000, a softball-sized hailstone hit a 19-year-old man from Lake Worth, Texas, killing him

Preparing for Hailstorms

There is not much you can do to prepare for hailstorms, besides keeping your vehicle in the garage all season and walking around wearing a football helmet, but when hail hits, go inside and remain inside until the hailstorm is over. If you are outside, seek shelter under a picnic pavilion, gazebo or sturdy awning or inside a store, bathroom or other structure. Once inside, close the blinds and curtains to protect yourself from breaking glass. If you are in your car, pull over and turn away from the windshield, while covering yourself with a blanket or coat.

Flooding

There are two main types of floods—overland floods and flash floods. In North Texas, our greatest risk is flash flooding. A flash flood occurs when the city’s drainage system cannot drain heavy rains fast enough. Floods happen quickly and are hard to predict. They are the cause of the most weather-related deaths in America—mostly due to people believing floodwaters are passable. Remember—Turn Around! Don’t Drown! It only takes 18 inches of water to float away a regular sedan-sized car.

Preparing for a Flood

Floods have the potential to contaminate city water supplies, so store enough drinking water for drinking and personal hygiene. The absolute minimum requirement is one gallon of water per person per day. A flood has the possibility to force you to evacuate your home. Download the Red Cross Flood app for flood alerts and to locate your nearest shelter.

Lightning

Lightning is the electrostatic discharge from the electrically charged area between a cloud and the surface of the Earth and occurs in all thunderstorms. On average, lightning kills 300 Americans a year.

Preparing for a Lightning Storm

When you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside or seek shelter in a concrete building or structure. If you are camping, hiking or otherwise far from shelter, crouch down—don’t lay down—wrap your arms around your knees and keep your head down. For more on what do during a lightning storm, read “The Importance of Practicing Lightning Safety.”

Thunderstorms

There are four types of thunderstorms, classified by their severity. North Texas experiences all of them. We are mostly concerned with multi-cell cluster, multi-cell line and supercell thunderstorms—all of which have the ability to produce tornadoes. Prepare for a severe thunderstorm, the same way you a tornado.

Tornadoes

A tornado forms when updrafts of warm, humid air create a high-speed whirlwind. This rotating whirlwind or rotating cloud then forms a tornado when it reaches the ground. The United States experiences an average 1,200 tornadoes a year, with May through June being the peak time. Oddly, even though tornadoes can occur any time of the day, they most likely happen between 3 and 9 pm.

Preparing for Tornadoes and Thunderstorms

The first thing you need to know is the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. A Tornado watch is when conditions are suitable to produce a tornado. A warning means a tornado has been confirmed in your area. If your area is under a tornado warning, it is time to put your family emergency plan in place immediately.

If you are away from a radio or newscast, know the signs of a tornado. You might see clouds moving towards each other or rotating, flying debris, a green or green-black sky, hail, wall cloud or hear the sound like a freight train. When you see any of those signs, seek shelter right away.

To prepare for a severe thunderstorm or tornado establish a “safe room” in your home. If you live in a mobile home—no room inside is safe. For those who live in mobile homes, you should seek shelter elsewhere or build an underground storm shelter outside the home.

Your safe room should be an interior room without windows on the lowest floor, and as far away from outside walls as possible. This could be a closet, bathroom or even the room under your stairs. Many apartments and smaller homes have no rooms that have only interior walls. Some experts believe that bathrooms, due to the pipes surrounding it have added protection—possibly more so than a closet. If your bathroom is the only safe room in the house, when there is a threat of tornado, get into the bathroom, and cover yourself with a mattress or heavy blankets.

FEMA suggests the room you pick should have enough room for everyone in the family to stand comfortably for two hours. Be sure to accommodate any elderly or disabled family members. If you care for someone with special needs, put a chair in your safe room.

You need to stock your safe room with essential and emergency supplies:

Bottled water

Necessary and emergency medications—inhalers, oxygen, aspirin, insulin, EpiPen, etc.

Helmets for children

Sturdy shoes for every family member

First aid kit

Flashlight

Emergency weather alert radio

Cell phone

Signaling device, such as a whistle

Fire extinguisher

Work gloves

Batteries

Babies’ needs such as formula and diapers

The American Red Cross has readiness items such as signal whistles, flashlights and disasters kits ranging from the basics to a four-person, three-day survival kit.

  

If you are on the road or far from a sturdy structure, do not pull over and hide under an overpass. This is a myth! Experts agree that an overpass is actually one of the most unsafe places to seek shelter during a tornado. Instead, pull over, get in a low-lying area like a ditch, and cover your head. If you absolutely have no other choice but to stay in the car, keep your seat belt on, roll up all the windows, bend down as far as you can below the windows and cover your head with a blanket or any other material you have.

For all the information on tornado preparedness, download the Red Cross tornado warning app.