TALLAHASSEE– With heavy rains and widespread flooding forcing evacuation across Alabama and Florida Panhandle the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) encourages residents to heed the warnings issued by local officials.
“PCI reminds citizens that insurers are on hand to answer questions and help families and businesses quickly resolve problems, file claims and begin the process of recovering from these events,” said Donovan Brown, state government relations for PCI. “Flood damage is not covered by your standard policy, and must be purchased as a separate policy.”
Recovering from flooding is always a challenging task but
there are resources available to help consumers. The Federal Emergency Management Agency can be contacted at 800-621-3362 or www.fema.gov and consumers who have flood insurance policies through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) can contact either their flood insurance agent or the NFIP itself at (888) 379-9531 or www.floodsmart.gov.
The Alabama Department of Insurance can also assist consumers with questions about insurance and the claims process. Impacted residents can call the Division at 800-433-3966 (in-state) or call 334-269-3550.
The Florida Department of Insurance can also assist consumer with questions about insurance claims 850-413-3140.
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) member company Toll-Free Policyholder Claim Phone Numbers.
Flooding Tips:
-Keep all receipts for anything you buy for that purpose so you can submit them to your insurance company later.
-Report all damage to your insurance company or agent as soon as you can in order to settle your claim more quickly and accurately.
-Make a list of damaged items. If possible, put together a set of records, such as receipts, bills and photographs, to establish the age of everything that needs to be replaced or repaired.
-Identify structural damage to your home and make a list of everything you want to show the adjuster.
-Don’t throw out damaged furniture or other expensive items. The adjuster will want to see them. It also is a good idea to take photographs of the damage before you start cleaning it up.
PCI is composed of more than 1,000 member companies, representing the broadest cross-section of insurers of any national trade association. PCI members write over $195 billion in annual premium, 39 percent of the nation’s property casualty insurance. Member companies write 46 percent of the U.S. automobile insurance market, 32 percent of the homeowners market, 37 percent of the commercial property and liability market, and 41 percent of the private workers compensation market.