School district without flood insurance faces $12M in damages

The case of the Southeast Texas district offers a good incentive for brokers to approach public entities about coverage

Insurance News

By Lyle Adriano

The case of the Southeast Texas district offers a good incentive for brokers to approach public entities about coverage.

Deweyville school district is facing an estimated $12 million in losses following the overflow of the Toledo Bend Reservoir into the Sabine River. All schools, particularly the elementary school, were affected.

And the district has no flood insurance.

The school district’s total budget for the year was $6.6 million—only enough to pay for just half of the expected damages. Deweyville Independent School District Superintendent Kevin Clark noted that while cleanup efforts continue at the school, the property itself could be declared a total loss.
The superintendent noted that the school district received little immediate recovery funding but he has hopes that additional assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is not too far behind.

“They are tearing our flooring and some drywall, removing debris. That is the portion that FEMA has approved right now,” Clark told the Dallas Morning News. “We’re paying for them as we go in hopes that we will receive some assistance.”

“The community has been great, a lot of volunteers. The surrounding school districts have really reached out to us and provided a lot of resources, we’re grateful for that,” Clark continued.

Clark affirmed that classes would resume April 11. He also expects the school’s graduation ceremony, set for May 27, to push through.

Over 600 children compromise the school district’s total student body, and they have been out of school since March 11. Classes resume next month in the undamaged portion of the district, the junior-senior high school.
 

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