Piedmont Family Struggles With Tornado Damage To Home, Bank Won't Reimburse

Jennifer Pierce, News 9

PIEDMONT, Oklahoma -- While Piedmont residents clear the debris of their tornado shattered homes, and begin the rebuilding process, Barbara Tucker is left reliving the May 24 nightmare.

Family heirlooms and memories are reduced to trash. But her problems didn't start here. They started last May, after a hail storm damaged her roof.

It was replaced three weeks before the tornado hit. She paid the roofer out of pocket, got a check from the insurance company, and gave the check to her mortgage holder, Chase Bank.

"We thought give Chase mortgage the check and we will get our money back, "Tucker said.

But it hasn't been that easy. Chase won't reimburse her because of the tornado claim.

"They keep telling me they can't pay on it because they haven't been out to inspect the property and I keep telling them you can't inspect it because it's gone," Tucker said.

Meanwhile, her family is living in an RV or hotel room, and paying for a house they can't live in.

"Everyday this sits here I'm losing money," Tucker said.

She's worried, if it takes this long to settle a claim from last year, how long will it take to get a check to rebuild her house?

She warns other homeowners to use this as a lesson, talk to your insurance company and mortgage lender about how they handle claims.