INSURANCE INDUSTRY RESPONDS TO NORTH CAROLINA STORMS
CONTACT: JenniferCohen
(919) 834-9773
Jennifer.Cohen@InsuranceFederationNC.com
INSURANCE INDUSTRY RESPONDS TO NORTH CAROLINA STORMS
RALEIGH, NC (April 18, 2011)– The insurance industry is responding to the storms that battered North Carolina on Saturday, April 16 with mobile claims centers and teams of agents,claims adjusters and appraisers circulating in central and eastern North Carolina.
“We know this is a stressful time for storm victims, and insurers want to make it as easy as possible for them to file claims to recover their losses,” said Jennifer Cohen, the executive director of the Insurance Federation of North Carolina. IFNC is a trade association comprised of 13 property/casualty insurers that do business in North Carolina and four national trade associations.
One insurer alone reported more than 2,300 storm-related claims as of Monday. According to the Insurance Information Institute, “The number of U.S. tornadoes, and the fatalities they caused, rose in 2010 as compared with 2009. The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, reports that there were 1,282 tornadoes in the U.S. in 2010, up from 1,156 in 2009. Moreover, tornado-related fatalities reached 45 in 2010 up from 21 deaths in2009.” This rise in tornado risk means we all need to be prepared.
According to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), most tornado, windstorm, hail and similar severe weather?related losses are covered either by homeowners,renters or commercial insurance policies. Residential tornado losses are covered by the “windstorm” peril under the homeowners or renters insurance policy. Business owners are covered under their commercial policies. Protection from windstorm or hail damage for cars is covered under the “comprehensive” portion of the automobile insurance policy.
If you experienced a loss from the storms, PCI offers the following advice:
n Immediately contact your insurance agent or company representative.
n Inspect property and cars for damage.
n Inventory losses and photograph damage and save related receipts to assist with claims
n Secure property from further damage or theft.
n Check the background and legitimacy of repair contractors. Ask your insurance company for assistance in locating a reputable contractor.
n Keep detailed records of business activity and extra expenses during the interruption period, and prepare records to show the income from the business both before and after the loss.
USAA members can report storm-related claims through the Disaster and Recovery Center on usaa.com, or by calling (800)531-USAA or #USAA (8722) from a cell phone.
- Eagle One, will be located at True2Form at 5110 Bragg Boulevard in Fayetteville from 8 a.m. to 7p.m. to help our members with their claims.
- We are planning on setting up another claims filing location and that location will be posted on our Disaster & Recovery site at www.usaa.com/help.Members can also file claims by using USAA’s Mobile App on their Android™ or iPhone® smartphones, online at usaa.com, or by calling 1-800-531-USAA (8722).
Allstate customers can file a claim by calling1-800-54-STORM (800-547-8676), visiting any Allstate Agent’s office or going online to http://www.allstate.com/claims/report-claim.aspx.
Nationwide policyholders with storm damage should call the Nationwide claims hotline at 1-800-421-3535 or the Allied claims hotline at 1-800-282-1446.
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