Insurer poised for action when floods subside

With forecasters predicting more wet weather to come, insurers are preparing for one of the largest customer claims exercises since the Kyrill storms that hit Europe in February.

Insurance giant, Zurich has already received in excess of 2600 claims in the last 10 days as a result of the recent bad weather alone. The insurer has put in place its claims surge plans which are designed to cope with this type of situation, and to ensure that we maintain normal service for other customers that are contacting us for non-flood related claims. This effort includes flying in loss adjusters from across Europe and as far afield as the US and Australia to cope with the expected level of demand once the waters subside and flood damage is ready to be assessed.

Jon Cawley, UK Property Claims Operations Manager for Zurich comments “This flooding is taking longer to clear than previous flooding, for example in Boscastle three years ago. We’re already starting to work on properties where the flood water has drained and we’re assisting where possible, those people that have properties that are still flooded but the real work will start in earnest once the flood waters have subsided.”

One of the immediate needs Zurich and other insurers have been addressing is temporary, emergency accommodation. Continued Jon “The odd night in a community centre is one thing, but that’s not a solution for the longer term. For now, we’re providing hotel accommodation and as soon as we are able to assess the likely time it will take to dry homes out, we’ll work with customers to find the right accommodation for them to reduce the disruption and distress caused by this kind of incident.”

The drying out process needs to be done properly and can take from a minimum of three weeks up to several months depending on the construction of the property, the height of the water level and how long the water remained rose inside the property. If this process is done too quickly it can cause cracking in the structure of the property and can also leave the home exposed to damp problems.

Zurich also makes emergency payments for day-to-day necessities including clothing and arranging for pets to be cared for if they can’t be taken into the temporary accommodation provided.

Zurich is working with suppliers that have huge international capacity which means not only flying in additional support in terms of manpower but equipment such as dehumidifiers to cope with the increased demand.

With an estimated 27,0001 homes and 5,000 businesses predicted to be affected by this flooding, every insurer across the country will need to ensure they have this kind of support from their suppliers.

Said Jon “We’ve set-up claims command centres to help coordinate the restoration effort and provide immediate help in the community for those affected by the floods. These guys are proactively seeking out our customers and offering advice and support for these complex claims.”