(KWWL) -- Monday's storm has generated tens of thousand of insurance claims amounting to millions, if not billions, of dollars in damage. For some who've never had to file a claim before, the process might be daunting.
A big part of getting a claim started after the storm is contacting your agent. The sooner you get on the claims list with your insurance company, the faster you can get help.
Steve Hubbard, a State Farm Insurance agent in Waterloo, said many of his colleagues in Linn and Benton Counties are still working. Their offices might not have electricity, telephone or internet, but they are either set up in their parking lots or working inside their dark offices to get claims processed. He said if you can't reach your agent by phone right now, try going to their office in person as they could be there.
He said State Farm has brought in their disaster recovery team, which includes additional adjusters and claims agents to help work through the thousands of claims being filed after the storm. However, they aren't working in the order in which claims come in. They are being prioritized with the properties damaged most getting attention first.
"We've got some customers that they literally cannot be in their homes. They're going to be at the top of the list. Some others have absolute damage, but it might take a few more days to get to them," Hubbard said.
He asks people to be patient. Usually insurance companies would try to get to customers within a day or so of the claim, but with the absolute influx of claims it is taking several days to see an adjuster.
It's important to take detailed photos of the damage done due to this delay. The photos can help insurance companies determine what happened and how much to pay out.
Hubbard said home and business owners should take measures to protect what's left of their property, such as temporary patches to protect from rain and other elements.
"Lot of holes in roofs and things like that. Do what you can. Take precautions. Tarp your roof if you're able to and really just take care of your property if you can," he said.
The biggest challenge faced by insurance companies and homeowners will be the lack of available contractors to make repairs. Hubbard said it could easily be next year before many of the roofs are repaired.
Your insurance adjuster will likely write a check that day for the damage. It might cover the full amount or it might be a partial amount with more coming later.
Claims tips:
- contact your insurance agent as soon as possible
- take detailed photos
- be patient due to case load
- tarp roofs and cover broken windows
- if you can't contact your agent by phone, try his/her office in-person
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August 14, 2020 at 03:51AM
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What you need to know when filing an insurance claim after the storm - kwwl.com
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