Residents experience 'stressful' cleanup efforts without flood insurance

16 hours ago 22

SAN BENITO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — One week after Valley-wide severe flooding, San Benito resident Richard Gonzalez is spending his days cleaning the water from his home.

He said it's been a tiresome few days.

At almost 70 years old, he's lived in his house on South Bonham Street nearly all his life, and he's always left to pick up the pieces when floodwater seeps in.

"It's been very stressful for me alone here knowing what happened to my home ... no words," Gonzalez said.

Parked in the front yard, his car’s doors remain open as he works to air out the floodwater inside.

Across the Valley, many residents are in the same situation as Gonzalez and do not have flood insurance.

"The majority of people out there having that uncomfortable conversation — it's because they don't realize that flood and home insurance, 99% of the time, are completely separate policies," Brownsville Insurance Agent Derek Benavides said,

Benavides is the owner of TWFG Benavides Insurance.

He said he and his employees have been taking many phone calls over the week, some of which have been disappointing because he tells his clients that their homeowner insurance doesn't cover flood damage.

Others don't have flood insurance either because they don't live in a flood zone or because they can't afford it, Benavides stated.

"Just because you're not in a flood zone doesn't mean it's not going to flood," he said.

In Gonzalez's case, it's not a matter of coverage, it's a matter of affordability.

"I don't have any type of insurance," Gonzalez said. "I'm on a very limited income of social security."

Gonzalez plans to apply for financial assistance from FEMA. He also awaits help from out-of-town family members to clean his home, something he says has been very difficult as an aging man.

Benavides shares some preventative measures people can take to minimize damage for the future: