After the tornado, a family in North Little Rock is having insurance issues

North Little Rock, Arkansas – Many families are currently engaged in a fight to receive aid from their insurance or FEMA after working round-the-clock to salvage as much as they could from tornado-damaged properties.

Bertha Estrada has spent the entire month of April travelling and pondering what comes next despite having lived in the same house on Oakview Drive in North Little Rock for more than 20 years.

When an EF-3 tornado passed over their house, which was occupied by six people, it down tree after tree onto their house, cars, and street.

“You can lose everything in 5 minutes. 5 minutes is all it took to destroy all of this,” Estrada lamented. “I never imagined what is the feeling to be running for your life until now.”

The difficulties are mounting almost as high as the debris heap outside Estrada’s house, despite the fact that there are places available and family to stay with. Because it just had liability insurance, one car that was entirely smashed in its driveway by a tornado-topped tree is not protected by auto insurance.

The Estradas are concerned about a variety of issues, not simply auto insurance. They live there, too. Since she submitted a claim to her home insurance provider a week ago, no one has inspected her house. FEMA also declined to cover them.

FEMA Pulaski County Public Information Officer Thomas Kempton claims that the organization is unable to offer double coverage.

“That’s the most common reason for denial, the lack of insurance information,” Kempton explained.

That is most likely the reason for this denial, said Kempton, but other frequent explanations include inaccurate information or a lack of ownership proof.

“They can’t do anything because of federal law until an insurance company has made the determination,” Kempton said. “But once they get that inspection done, they can come into FEMA and file an appeal for it.”

If you meet the requirements, Kempton said, FEMA may be able to reimburse you for the costs of renting safe housing and damaged gear for your employment. The Estradas do intend to challenge their FEMA claim, but as their home continues to deteriorate, Bertha wonders how long it could take them to receive assistance.

“It’s hard. It’s hard because now we need to start from the bottom again,” Estrada said.

The Estrada family is doing everything they can to increase their income through a food truck Bertha and her daughter Leslie operate.

They’ve also set up a GoFundMe, but you can also donate by purchasing any item from the Tacos Del Norte menu at 3225 East Carmichael Road in Cabot.

“I wish this to no one because you will be traumatized I guess for your whole life,” Estrada said.