It's not a trick and Lott doesn't deserve a penny of insurance money. Insurance policies clearly exclude flood damage and storm surge is flood damage. The premiums collected are lower as a result. Moreover, only the federal government provides flood insurance. If Lott didn't have it, it's tough luck. If he wins the case, there won't be any insurance company that will offer coverage because his precedent would bankrupt all of them when everyone else makes the same claim. It sounds like he is lining up with the democrat attorney general that's trying to get flood coverage from the insurance companies in Mississippi.
It is a trick, a swindle and a scam which has been pulled by insurance companies for years.
I have a question. How is it determined if the damage was caused by flood or by wind? If there is only a slab left, it will be very hard to determine. Or even a more complex question is did the flood weaken the structure enought that the wind caused the damage or did the wind weaken the structure to the point that the water was able to complete the damage.
There is evidence that the wind was a major destruction factor, because parts of water front houses were found well beyond the storm surge area. So one could conclude that the wind ripped the house apart before the surge hit.