Texas Homeowner's Insurance Claims Due to Extreme Weather

In Texas, winter storms do not occur frequently, but when they do, they are extreme and can cause lockdowns, power outages, water outages, burst pipes, and severe inconveniences.

If you have experienced damages due to the extreme weather in Texas, our Texas homeowner insurance lawyers will be able to guide you through a claim. If you have experienced winter storm damage, our lawyers have resources detailing what you need to know before securing your payout. Our Texas insurance claim lawyers are still working when possible. We refuse to allow state-wide winter conditions and power outages to prevent us from serving our clients. We are experiencing this along with you, as many members of our team have experienced power outages, lack of running water, and broken pipes.

Currently, Texas is still managing the extreme weather that has caused chaos for the energy infrastructure in Texas. ERCOT, or Electric Reliability Council of Texas, is responsible for managing the electric power supply throughout Texas, representing 90% of the state’s electric load. They have been letting Texans down with their lack of accessibility and resources. Millions of Texans have suffered as a result of ERCOT's failures. They must be held accountable for their negligence.

The governor of Texas, Greg Abbot, expressed his frustration with this situation as well, stating that this is unacceptable and systems need to change to prevent further instances. He has launched an official investigation into ERCOT’s behavior because they are not operating in the best interest of their consumers.

The government should be able to rely on the specialists at ERCOT to deliver services, especially when there is extreme weather. This winter storm was announced by the governor prior to the storm, and ERCOT was called upon to be prepared. These are some of the ways that ERCOT is letting down their fellow Texans:

• ERCOT has not been transparent. They are a public entity and they are not providing information that is crucial to not only the government but to the citizens of Houston on why they are unable to accelerate the process of distributing energy power to those in need.
• ERCOT has not been able to explain but they do not have systems in place to provide back-up power to those in need. They were provided with advanced notice of the severity of the storm, as well as how it could affect their neighboring states, and did not proactively address the issue.
• ERCOT did not conduct the necessary on-site inspections of their power plants to verify that they are prepared for harsh winter conditions. They used COVID as an excuse as to why they did not conduct inspections. While COVID was a restriction,
• ERCOT will need to be restructured to ensure that this does not happen again.

When hazardous weather conditions occur, we should all be able to trust our energy providers to be prepared for the worst. Power outages happen, but the lack of communication and preparation that ERCOT has demonstrated is unacceptable.

Energy providers, such as CenterPoint Energy, are working closely with ERCOT to find solutions for Texans, although solutions should have already been strategized before the storm began.

Insurance companies claim to be striving to protect your rights after a natural disaster like Texas’ winter storm, but they are inundated with claims to process and are only focused on their bottom line. The insurance company will not be easy to work with and will not work in your best interest. Work with a homeowners insurance lawyer who will fight for your rights. At VB Attorneys, we have a winning track record of fighting for our client’s rights.

Our Texas homeowners insurance lawyers are prepared to advocate on your behalf. Contact our legal team today. The ways in which this storm has impacted our community is unacceptable. We plan on holding each party accountable for their actions and we are prepared to fight for our clients.