Gulf Coast Homeowners Report Frustration With Harvey-Related TWIA Insurance Claims

Months after Harvey, many Texans on the coast are still unable to repair their homes.

By Jill AmentMarch 27, 2018 7:14 am,

The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) has been known as “the insurer of last resort” for Texans living along the Gulf Coast. Because of the public program’s unpopular response to Harvey, some Texans say the program should end.

Marina Riker of the Victoria Advocate says the majority of people are frustrated about how their claims have been handled after Harvey.

“I had heard a couple local government officials in Ingleside and Fulton who had actually called to dismantle the agency entirely,” she says.

According to Riker’s data, TWIA manages 235,000 policies and there have been 75,000 claims disputed after Harvey. Riker says most of the people with disputed claims have simply given up and moved on.

The agency was established in the 1970s because there weren’t private insurers who would insure homeowners in high risk areas.

“For a lot of people, TWIA is the only insurance for wind and hail damage that they can find out there,” Riker said.

Written by Angela Bonilla