Almost two years after the devastating storm, our country’s Katrina victims still await closure and healing. Many have found themselves embroiled in legal disputes in pursuit of the opportunity to rebuild their lives. The harrowing task of settling insurance policy claims on their damaged or destroyed homes is just one aspect of this struggle.

Today, the 5th Circuit plans to hear an appeal on a Mississippi-based Katrina insurance coverage claim. The trial judge told these policyholders, a couple who believes their home suffered $130,253 in damages from the storm, that their policy did not cover damage resulting from a combination of water and wind. This distinction has been the subject of a great number of Katrina-related insurance disputes.

Last week, the 5th Circuit ruled against Katrina-affected insurance policyholders and overturned a U.S. District Court ruling that insurance companies had to pay its policyholders’ Katrina-related claims. The previous ruling held that ambiguous policy provisions made it unclear which forms of storm damage were covered, while the most recent ruling states that the policy is unambiguous.