Renter’s insurance gives apartment fire victims peace of mind

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – An apartment fire Sunday morning has caused eight families to be relocated.

“To me, it takes that worry away,” Glenda Richardson, Director of Community Outreach, said.

This was how most of the people who lived in Colony Apartment building 15 woke up Sunday morning.

The building was on fire and it spread quickly to all of the apartments.

As firefighters worked on the front lines, behind the scenes dazed residents were assisted by the American Red Cross and Community Outreach partners.

Michael Walker works with Columbus Fire and Rescue.

“I normally notify Red Cross that I’m there. We trying to help relocate them to a place that they can stay. Provide them with any assistance they need in that area,” Walker said.

While all residents were safely relocated, their belongings were lost.

“I understand that there are some things that you’re not going to be able to replace. Pictures and things that were valuable. But, it will ease your mind that you can go out and buy some of the things that you lost,” Richardson said.

Richardson says these residents have renter’s insurance. And that means peace of mind and financial recovery for lost items.

Although there is no law in Mississippi requiring tenants to carry renter’s insurance, most rental companies like Colony Apartment Homes require it.

“Renter’s insurance protects the renter. If they have a fire or some kind of disaster, I believe the renter’s insurance would cover that. If they have renter’s insurance, then they get to pick out whatever it is that they want based on the amount of the policy,” Richardson said. “That can help them get into a new place, replace furniture, just all the things that we may not be able to do, that renter’s insurance can do that for them.”

While renter’s insurance is an additional cost to the renter, Community Outreach members say it’s better to have it, than to not.

“Well, I think they’re in a better situation than most. If you’re going to get paid out 15, 20 thousand dollars for content, that can go a long way. Which will take some of the worry away and I think that would be good for every apartment complex,” Richardson said.

All victims are still welcome to use the resources from the outreach agency and the American Red Cross.