AAA Flooded With Calls About Insurance Claims In Wake Of Recent Storms

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Automobile Club of Southern California have been flooded with calls about insurance claims after record-breaking rain wreaked havoc across the Southland.

"Since the rain started Thursday of last week, we've received over a thousand calls for claims," said Jeffrey Spring, the AAA's public relations manager.

The motor club has been so busy, it had to bring in insurance claim adjusters from other parts of the country to assess the damage at the homes of local policyholders.

"The vast majority of the calls we've been getting are about roof damage," Spring added.

The good news is a standard homeowner's policy covers water damage from the wind, rain to the roof and trees falling on houses.

But a standard homeowner's policy does not cover flood damage from rising waters.

Homeowners and renters can buy flood insurance in a separate policy from the National Flood Insurance Program and from private insurers.

It can be costly. But without it, homeowners will have to pay for flood damage out of pocket.

Janet Ruiz, the California representative for the Insurance Information Institute, told CBS2's Stacey Butler that an increasing number of people are buying flood insurance because "25 percent of the flooding occurs out of the flood zone."

If you decide to buy flood insurance, know that it will take 30 days to kick in.

Gov. Jerry Brown Monday declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles and Orange counties that sustained tens of millions of dollars in storm damage.

That means the counties are eligible to receive funding to help communities respond and recover from storms.