Official Urges Filing of Flood Insurance Claims

A federal disaster official says South Dakota homeowners and business owners who have flood insurance and have suffered flood damage should file claims now.

Mark Neveau of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which runs the national flood insurance program, says the sooner people file claims, the sooner they will be paid.

Neveau says after someone calls to start a claim, an adjuster and the property owner agree on a list of damaged property. That list normally must be filed with 60 days of the when the damage occurs. That deadline has been extended to 120 days for South Dakota policyholders hit by flooding since June 1 because many people have not been able to check damage from the swollen Missouri River.