TULSA, Okla. — For three decades, Lou Oliver's family gathered in her west Tulsa home for Christmas — her favorite time of year.
"Christmas here was always so special," Oliver said. "I mean, everybody came here for Christmas."
It's the home where Oliver raised her kids, grandkids, and great-grandchildren.
Throughout the decades, she worked diligently to pay her mortgage, finally paying off her home in October.
Since her car insurance wasn't due for renewal until the end of November, she told 2 News she thought it would not matter to go without homeowner's insurance for a month.
"I thought I'll just bundle 'em all together at the end of November," she said. "Big mistake! A month does matter."
It matters because on Nov. 15 her home erupted in flames. A heat lamp on the back porch for her pets sparked a fire that destroyed her house while it was uninsured.
"What I've worked hard all my life for, and now it's just gone," she said.
Without insurance to rebuild, she's grateful for family and friends' help sifting through what's not too charred to salvage.
While she doesn't regret losing nearly everything, she is sad to lose her family's cherished Christmas decorations, like her Nutcracker collection, which is now charred beyond salvage on what's left of the mantle.
2 News checked with the Oklahoma Insurance Department.
It doesn't keep records of how many Oklahoma homeowners are uninsured, but if a loss like a fire happens when a homeowner is uninsured, it can be catastrophic for that person.
To maintain at least some protection if a person doesn't want a homeowner's policy, Ashley Scott with OID suggests:
- Liability policies
- Umbrella policies
"Sometimes those don't have quite as high premium," she said. "They may not cover everything like you would with a home homeowners. They're not going to cover some of maybe your personal belongings, or they're not going to cover the structure to a full extent, like a homeowners policy would, but any of those would be better than nothing."
Scott recommends the following for those considering dropping homeowners coverage because of the cost.
"If the payments are higher which we're seeing right now," she said. "There are options to increase deductibles and make changes to those policies to better fit your monetary needs."
These are important so you don't face a catastrophe without the insurance safety net.
If you have questions about insurance and what various products cover, the Oklahoma Insurance Department can answer questions: call 918-295-370.
If you'd like to help Lou Oliver,click here.
Contact the Problem Solvers:
- 918-748-1502
- problemsolvers@kjrh.com
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