Southeast Texans need to get ready to find another home insurance provider if you're insured with State Farm.
Beginning on May 1, 2012, State Farm says it will no longer renew home insurance for 11,000 homeowners living near coastal areas.
Those affected live in parts of Jefferson and Orange Counties. Galveston, Chambers and Brazoria Counties are also part of the 11,000 homeowners expected to be dropped from State Farm when their home insurance police is up for renewal.
One of those home owners is Peggy Sanford. For 63 years, her Port Arthur home has been in her family.
"This is my home. This is my heaven."
40 of those years she paid State Farm to insure it.
"Now State Farm's going to take that away from me, the security of knowing I'm insured," says Sanford.
Sanford's policy will be up in Aug., and State Farm says it won't be renewing with folks like her who live in coastal areas.
The leading insurance company in Texas, State Farm says it can't afford to insure those living in areas prone to storms.
"These changes will ensure that we are there for all of our Texas homeowner customers in the end," says State Farm Spokesperson Kevin Davis.
One watchdog group, Texas Watch, says State Farm isn't the first to forsake coastal families.
With few providers left, Alex Winslow with Texas Watch says many will have to look to the government run Texas Windstorm Association for insurance.
"It's very dangerous. TWIA is not equipped to have this number of policy holders and this number of families relying on it," says Winslow.
That's upsetting news to homeowners like Sanderson
"It's very sad. We've gone through a lot of hurricanes," says Sanderson. "After a while it doesn't seem quite fair."
State Farm says only parts of the five counties in the coastal regions will be ineligible for renewal. It will be up to the company to decide which homeowners in the areas will lose coverage.
