If your home was destroyed or severely damaged from the Chattanooga area tornadoes to the extent that it is uninhabitable for you or your family to live, your insurance policy may provide a coverage called “Additional Living Expense” or “A.L.E.” But after speaking with some homeowners who have gone without power for weeks it appears, they need to press the issue with their home insurers. Checkout this recent local news story that makes our point: Ooltewah man still without power six and one half weeks after tornadoes

Building codes require structures to be built to certain minimum standards. In areas likely to be hit by tornadoes, for example, buildings must be able to withstand high winds. If your building property was damaged and was not in compliance with current local building codes, you may have to rebuild the damaged sections according to current codes.

Thousands throughout the Volunteer State continue to pour into regions of Middle Tennessee including the historic state capital city of Nashville to aid recovery efforts following Tuesday’s severe weather and deadly tornados. The Governor’s recent State of Emergency declaration will create a logistical nightmare for insurance companies who are scrambling to deploy teams of catastrophe adjusters to service Tennesseans who need to file insurance claims and collect monies that are vital to rebuild their damaged homes and affected businesses.