Q&A on the News

Q: Will the businesses that were damaged or destroyed in Ferguson be able to collect insurance?

—John Walter, Atlanta

A: Owners who have a business owners policy should be covered for most damages, experts say, but policies can contain different stipulations, "depending on the size of the business, location, property and industry," the Chicago Tribune reported late last month.

Some policies might include business interruption insurance, which would provide money in case a business was forced to close for a period of time from damage sustained during civil disobedience. Local business owners in Ferguson filed claims worth about $250,000 after rioting in August and September, and the Missouri Department of Insurance has encouraged owners of businesses damaged or destroyed in the recent round of unrest to contact their agents and insurance companies. The department “has trained insurance experts standing by, ready to assist” business owners with questions about their policies or the claims process, director John M. Huff said in a release.

Several businesses also are receiving help through the Internet crowd-sourcing site gofundme.com. Natalie Dubose, the owner of Natalie’s Cakes and More, had raised $269,707 through the site as of Dec. 16.

Dozens of businesses were damaged or destroyed in the aftermath of the grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown. Most of the damaged businesses are on South Florissant Road and West Florissant Avenue, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.