Potawatomi On line casino Insurance coverage Denies Claims for Flooded Automobiles in Valet Storage

• The Potawatomi On line casino Resort parking storage skilled important flooding in August
• Underinsured automobile homeowners are experiencing problem in receiving protection for this injury

The Potawatomi On line casino Resort, like the remainder of Milwaukee, skilled historic flooding in August. The tribal resort’s insurance coverage provider says it bears no accountability for the “act of nature.”

The parking storage at Potawatomi On line casino Resort in Milwaukee is seen flooded on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. The underground valet storage is the place many automobiles suffered water injury from the historic Wisconsin floods. (Picture: Reddit)

Described by climate forecasters as a “as soon as in a thousand years occasion,” the Milwaukee metro obtained as much as 10 inches of rain in simply 48 hours between August 9-10. The record-setting rainfall was the results of an uncommon climate sample over the western shore of Lake Michigan.

Forecasts didn’t anticipate the storm till the day earlier than the rain started. The Wauwatosa neighborhood close to the Potawatomi On line casino was hit the toughest.

The extraordinary storm resulted in a whole lot of automobiles on the tribal on line casino being broken, with many struggling complete losses. The parking storage’s underground valet was most impacted. Self-parked automobiles on the primary degree of the six-level parking construction additionally skilled in depth water injury.

Homeowners have been solely capable of retrieve their automobiles on Thursday, August 14. Many discovered their vehicles enormously broken, with most needing to file insurance coverage claims.

Underinsured Face Losses 

As On line casino.org reported on the time, most traditional auto insurance coverage insurance policies don’t cowl flood injury. Solely complete insurance coverage insurance policies, which embrace safety for “apart from collision,” cowl water injury. Complete moreover protects automobiles from hail, fireplace, vandalism, and theft.

Some Potawatomi friends who noticed their automobiles broken or completely misplaced throughout the flooding have been advised by their insurance coverage carriers that their normal coverage didn’t cowl the “act of nature.” Roger McGee tells the NBC News affiliate in Milwaukee that he then filed an insurance coverage declare with the on line casino’s property insurer to pay out on his automobile, which was a complete loss.

McGee mentioned he had used the valet to go to the on line casino. He thinks the on line casino is responsible for not transferring his automobile from the underground valet to a better space.

McGee was not too long ago knowledgeable by Tribal First, a nationwide supplier of insurance coverage to Native American tribes that’s a subsidiary of Alliant, one of many largest insurance coverage brokers within the US, that his declare had been rejected.

“There was a historic regional climate occasion that necessitated a state of emergency in Milwaukee. Unprecedented ranges of precipitation brought on flash flooding in Milwaukee and surrounding areas. Because of this occasion, automobiles positioned within the parking storage of valet parking and on the premises … have been broken,” the Tribal First rejection letter to McGee learn.

The reason for this loss was resulting from an act of nature. Our investigation confirmed neither negligence nor legal responsibility. Whereas we remorse any incident a patron might have had and positively sympathize with any problem this incident might have brought on you, we should respectfully deny your declare,” the letter continued.

Coincidentally, the letter was signed by Tribal First Legal responsibility Adjuster Michael McGee, of the identical final identify because the claimant.

Complete Injury

Milwaukee officers report that at the least 51 properties have been destroyed by the August floods. Greater than 4,500 residential and business buildings suffered injury.

The storm is assumed to have brought on $43 million in infrastructure injury and $21 million in property injury. There have been three suspected deaths attributable to the storm, with two from drowning and one from carbon monoxide poisoning.