Customers enter the darkened Island Convenience Store in Rodanthe on Hatteras Island, N.C., on July 28. Steve Earley / AP

Kivi Leroux Miller filed a claim at the urging of her rental company, Ocracoke Island Realty, after her vacation was cut short.

"I'm trusting them because they're the ones who sold us the insurance," she said.

The travel insurance plans, marketed under the Trip Preserver brand, have a road closure provision that will likely apply, but the claims are evaluated individually, said Linda Fallon, senior vice president of Arch Insurance Group.

Customers of another rental company, Surf or Sound Realty, had the option before their visits of buying travel insurance that was underwritten by AIG. Surf or Sound issued a statement urging its customers to file claims; AIG said it's evaluating Outer Banks claims on an individual basis and has begun paying some of them.

Andrew Vessey, who spent $2,700 on a Surf or Sound rental this week, said he's filed a claim and is waiting to hear back. The Raleigh resident started a Facebook group for similarly situated renters to vent and compare notes, and it's grown to more than 800 members. Despite frustrations, his family has "some hope with the travel insurance."

Excerpt from:

Evacuated North Carolina Islands Allowing Visitors Again After Power Back on - NBCNews.com