ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — Many multistory homeowners whose lower level was flooded by Hurricane Helene have been caught off guard when they learn most of their damage is not covered in a standard flood policy, according to the Office of the Insurance Consumer Advocate.

“That’s why it’s so important to make sure that you are reviewing your policy and you understand what’s included and what’s excluded,” said Tasha Carter, Florida’s Insurance Consumer Advocate. “So that you are fully informed and protected as much as you possibly can be.” 

St. Pete Beach resident Phil Smithies said Helene surged more than three feet of seawater into his garage, damaging drywall, five doors, a staircase and a freezer. Smithies said he has paid his Wright Flood policy for 35 years and recently learned not much was covered when he filed his first claim.

“There’s virtually nothing except for the ‘mucking out’ that they call it, which is like sanitizing and a freezer. That’s it,” he said. “It’s all out of pocket, which I’m on Social Security these days.”

Smithies said he’s fighting to get his staircase covered and admits he did not read the fine print on his policy.

“My declaration page is what I went by and I thought I was covered… I may be dumb, but these guys (neighbors) are all the same,” he said. “I’ve spoken to dozens of people in the last three weeks, and nobody has heard about this multistory-single story thing.”

That includes Al Johnson, the former mayor of St. Pete Beach, who has read many legal documents during his six years in office. Johnson said he had 29 inches of seawater inside his garage and also learned much of the damage will not be covered.

“I’ve been told that they won’t cover any drywall and the only thing they say they’ll cover is the what they call ‘mucking out’ of the garage,” he said. “I think they should cover, at least enclosing your access to your home, which I always thought they did.”

Johnson said because his living quarters are on the second floor, he does pay a lower rate than single story homeowners. Still, in his community, he said there’s 55 townhomes with garages and all the owners were surprised by the flood policy exclusion.

“It’s the old fine print routine. I think there ought to be some sort of a better disclosure because you ought to be able to cover the stuff you’d normally have in your garage,” he said. “Give me bullets here. This is covered, this is covered, this is not and maybe throw some options together as to what you can add to it if you need to.”

Carter said oftentimes homeowners don't know what's covered under their insurance policy and what's excluded until they file a claim. Florida’s Insurance Consumer Advocate recommends homeowners should contact FEMA who have damage which is not covered and consider a low interest loan from the Small Businesses Administration.

“For homeowners who have insurance and your insurance is not going to cover the extent of your damage, you may have an option to contact FEMA to request additional financial assistance through disasterassistance.gov,” she said. “If you are not eligible to obtain assistance directly through FEMA, you may be eligible to obtain financial assistance through the Small Business Administration.”

The SBA loan program offers a 30-year term interest rate for as low as 4 percent for small businesses and as low as 2.8 percent for homeowners and renters. Last week, the Biden-Harris administration added a new incentive for Helene and Milton storm victims, which includes up to 12 months of zero interest and no payments.

Smithies said he’s reviewing all of his options, but if he’s forced to take out a loan, it will be tough to pay back on a fixed income.

“It’s extremely worrying at my age,” he said. “Payments now not good.”

Smithies predicts the exclusion in the flood policy will force some seniors out of their homes and said he knows of one lady who’s leaving.