A woman whose house was destroyed during Storm Éowyn and has spent around €30,000 before any rebuilding work has been done is concerned that her insurance will not cover those initial costs.
Maura Adshead, who lives in Castleconnell in Co Limerick, said her home was completely destroyed when gusts from Storm Éowyn caused a tree to fall on it.
Ms Adshead, an associate professor at University of Limerick, said she considers herself and her family extremely lucky that they escaped serious injury or death.
Figures supplied to the Department of Finance show that 27,000 claims have been reported in the aftermath of the storm, with the costs of the claims potentially reaching up to €240 million.
A 100-year-old tree fell onto her home smashing the roof as she and her husband and daughter were asleep.
She credits her husband's snoring with the reason she was in another room and escaped.
However, Ms Adshead said it has been taxing emotionally and financially since then, with a rollercoaster of inquiries and a journey into the unknown as she tries to negotiate a clean-up and what exactly her insurance will cover.
She said an insurance assessor is an important aspect in assessing the exact cost of the damage, but they take a percentage of the cost, and the insurance company does not pay for that.
"This is a really difficult position to be in, and a really taxing one financially, and emotionally in every way."
And yet if you do not have a full professional assessment, then there is a risk that you are not accounting for everything you have lost.
"I'd say we are the best part of €30,000 down in expenses at present in having the tree cleared with a tree surgeon and a crane that was necessary as part of that, as well as putting all our household belongings into storage, and we worry how much of all of this will be covered," she said.
Ms Adshead added: "We’re still waiting to hear if these will be covered, how much will we get and will we get anything in advance.
"You just don’t realise how much you’ve lost, and that only happens as the weeks go by following this disaster.
"Also, finalising costs with a builder is also a journey into the unknown because they are not always sure of those costs or what will emerge during reconstruction.
"We’re in a position to deal with such a disaster, but I think of the people who may not be. This is a really difficult position to be in, and a really taxing one financially, and emotionally in every way."
Read more:
Insurance claims of up to €240m due to damage caused by Storm Éowyn
