HUDSON, Fla. (WFLA) – After weeks of finger-pointing and no answers as to why the flood insurance he paid for didn’t take effect, the check to repair Dean Pannasch’s Hudson home has finally arrived.
Idalia brought the bay onto his street and into his living room, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
It got worse when Panash called his claim to discover that although records showed he had paid for flood insurance, he was not covered.
Banash said he got the evasion of everyone involved in his shutdown, but the finger-pointing stopped after 8 On Your Side’s involvement.
Before the first story about his ordeal aired, his flood insurance policy was finally activated and retroactive, and he was told the check for repairs was in the mail.
“I can’t even tell you,” Banach said when asked what it was like to actually receive the check. “I was all smiles. You don’t know how much it affects you until it actually happens to you.”
The torrential downpour earlier this month was a flashback for Panach, but at least this time he knew his property was covered.
He was also better prepared after installing waterproof flooring and sheetrock instead of sheetrock. Idalia brought water to his home, but fortunately the unnamed storm did not even reach his roof near the canal behind the property.
He was relieved that the floodproofing was not tested, but he was concerned about the damage to other homes on his street.
“There are still people on this block trying to get their houses together because they don’t have insurance,” Panach said.
Panach offers a warning to anyone who thinks they have flood insurance, asking them to double-check.
“Sure. Because your lender assumes you have it. The policy writer assumes you have it,” Banach said. “But if something happens at closing and they don’t get the check, you’ll be right there where you were. “Everyone is pointing fingers at each other.”
There is one persistent flaw that needs to be discovered. The rush to help left him with two flood insurance policies. One from FEMA and one from his lender.
“I don’t think I’ve been charged a second time,” Panach said. “I’ll find out once the repairs are done.”
None of the entities involved in the closure responded to questions about why Panache Insurance was not created immediately after its closure.