Way back in December our insurance agency, USAA, told us that they wanted an ‘examination under oath’ for both Julie and I to tell them what happened.  We had already done this 2 or 3 times, but hey, whatever.   It took quite some time for USAA to find the people to facilitate this meeting here in UT.  It has been aggravating to be in limbo for so long, but that’s life I guess.

Well that meeting finally took place yesterday (April 12).   It was basically the same set of questions as we were asked after the fire in Oct by a fire investigator, and to the set we were asked by another fire investigator here in UT in early December.

The entire thing took about 4.5 hours.  About 3.5 of those were spent with me, and about an hour with Julie.   I was the last one to leave the house back in Oct and so they had all sorts of questions for me, and then only had Julie fill in holes that I didn’t know, or to verify that what I said was true.

The whole thing would have been really easy and stress free if it weren’t for the PTDS issues I have.  For months now I’ve been having major anxiety attacks and nightmares about personal safety that all center around the fire, and so trying talk about what happened was stressful because of the raw emotions that come from those attacks.  I had to excuse myself a few times to compose myself because of the emotions that come from recalling the details.   Otherwise things went fine.   Julie, as always, was a rock upon whom I could rely to help me calm my emotions and steady my thinking.   I love that woman!

One bonus of the interview this time was that the Insurance investigator (Roger) handling the claim was present.  This gave us the opportunity to talk with him in person about what their process is going to be now, and try to get an approximate time frame for a decision.  He explained to us how now they’ll go back and compare our statements, review all the information, gather more if necessary, have meetings with their legal teams, and come to some decision.

Unfortunately we couldn’t get any approximate time frame.   He wouldn’t say anything about days/weeks/months/years.   Even something as vague as “these things can take a few months” or “this almost never takes more than a year” or “hopefully we can be done quickly.”   He wouldn’t give us anything.  It will take as long as it takes, and that’s it.   So being in limbo has become a permanent status for us.

There were a disturbing revelation made to us though.   Roger led us to believe that we should brace for bad news about the decision they might make.   He said that if he had to make the decision today, he would choose to not cover the claim.   He said that that isn’t an official decision and they will obviously still go through the process, but it didn’t sound to me like there was much of a chance of them covering anything.

So we are stunned and confused.

That news makes it nearly impossible to make any plans for the future.  Not only do we not know when they’ll make a decision, but it sounds most likely that the decision will leave us impoverished, homeless,  and yet still responsible for a house debt for a house that no longer exists.   You can guess how our emotions were yesterday/last night.   I’m filled with doubt, confusion, depression, and a touch of anger AND  the emotions rubbed raw by the interview.   You’d be correct to guess I’m not doing very well.

But that’s where things stand right now.

If you have any encouragement or advice, please feel free to share below.

Because you all love us soooo much, we get lots of questions about what is happening regarding our housefire(s) and the insurance. So here is a post to give you all the info. That way you’ll all be up to date when we post about developments.

We own a 120 acre farm in southern Missouri. It doesn’t generate any money, just gives us something to do with our time and provides opportunities for learning for us and the kiddos.

Over the summer, sometime in June I think, we had a new wood-burning stove professionally installed in our living room. We knew that new stoves stink terribly for the first several fires that are in them and so sometime during the previous week Julie and I had decided that since the weather had been so nice (mid -70’s, we hadn’t closed a window in weeks) that on Sunday, Oct 23, we would build our first fire before church. That way the smell could dissipate while we were away and hopefully be gone by the time we returned.

So that morning we did just that, we started a fire in the fireplace and tended to it a bit, and left for church. When we got home we found a house full of smoke and that the chair and piano which were near the stove had burned up. We called 911 and a great group of volunteers showed up and put out hotspots remaining in the walls, ceiling, and kitchen cabinets.

For the next two weeks the entire family lived in three Quality Inn hotel rooms in West Plains, MO while we met with insurance persons, talked to fire investigators, looked for a decent rental, and just tried to keep ourselves alive. Living in a hotel with a family our size, and for that period of time, wasn’t easy on any of us. Because we couldn’t find any rentals in WP or anywhere nearby that had more than 3 bedrooms we decided we’d move across the country to stay with family in Utah until the insurance was settled and we knew what we were doing. So Julie took the kids and left while I stayed behind to meet with several contractors to get bids for repairs.

On the day I was going to leave, Nov 11, their was a second fire that consumed the rest of the house. After meeting with the fire crews and being assured there was nothing else I could do, I left for Utah late that night.

We were told by insurance that they wanted to investigate this second fire before making a decision about anything. We’ve been waiting in limbo since then. They’ve hired somebody here in Utah to come ask us questions  and we’ve turned over the few records they’ve asked for. But it’s basically been a waiting game since December. At some point we think they’ll want to talk to us again or make some other statement, which we’re ready to do at any time. But until they are ready to make some sort of decision, we just wait.

The frustrating part is just the not being able to plan the future. We thought we’d be in Utah until school was out (which would give us time to rebuild) but now we don’t know if the insurance is going to cover the house at all. So we don’t know if we should be planning a life in Missouri or if we’ll be stuck here in Utah for a lack of housing in MO. We don’t know where the kids will be for school next year, or where they should be planning summer camps, or what to do with the animals that others are so generously taking care of for us. We can’t even tell those who are helping us out when their help might no longer be required.

We’re just frustrated.

So if you are one of those helping us out, please know we love and appreciate you! We’re doing our best, and are trying to be a light burden! Trust us, as soon as we know what is happening, so will you. And now, when we do let you know of any changes that have taken place, you’ll be up to date.