Hurricane Rita Resource Center
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Consumers
New Toll-Free Number for Hurricane Victims: 1-800-942-4242 (Receive claims contact information for hundreds of insurance companies.) (10/4/05)
The Texas Department of Insurance's Consumer Help Line (1-800-252-3439) will be staffed 7-days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Up-to-date information will be posted on TDI's Web site, with the latest agency bulletins, locations of FEMA's Disaster Recovery Centers and Insurance Assistance Centers and contact information for consumers. For assistance with insurance questions, call (800) 252-3439. For assistance with workers' compensation issues, call (800) 372-7713.
Toll-Free Catastrophe Phone Numbers for Insurance Companies (Texas Department of Insurance)
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Consumer Resources for consumers affected by a flood (e.g. Flood Insurance Claims Handbook)
National Flood Insurance Program: FloodSmart News - September 22, 2005 (includes important claims information, call center resources & online Resources)
Toll-Free Numbers To Assist Policyholders With Hurricane Related Claims
Resources from PIA FL
Additional information on this page and in the Hurricane Katrina Resource Center may be useful to consumers.
Agents
Agents should be sure to review all of the information on this page as it may be useful to them.
Accord Forms
PIA National has secured limited permission from ACORD for all PIA agents and affiliates in the areas that have been affected by Hurricane Katrina to use the ACORD claims forms linked below, whether these agents are ACORD subscribers or not. In addition, PIA affiliates may distribute these for use by non-PIA members.
This permission is limited to use by agents for claims for losses related to Hurricane Katrina. These may not be used generally by anyone for regular/non-catastrophe claims/loss needs, nor may they be retained for use by anyone who accessed and used these for catastrophe-needs after the catastrophe-emergency claims need has been closed, and normal claims/loss proposing is resumed.
ACORD Property Loss Notice
ACORD General Liability Notice of Loss
ACORD Auto Loss Notice
Or download from ACORD's Katrina Support web page.
PIA National expresses its appreciation to ACORD.
FEMA/NFIP Assistance & Bulletins
NFIP FloodSmart Resources for assisting your customers (e.g. Flood Insurance Claims Handbook)
NFIP: FloodSmart News - September 22, 2005 (includes important claims information, call center resources & online Resources)
Govt. Assistance Available Through FEMA (compliments PIA FL)
Fema's NFIP Website
Bulletins:
BureauNet NFIP WYO Company Bulletins (All Bulletins)
Agency Disaster Planning Manual
PIA National's Agency Disaster Planning Manual
State Resources
Resources from PIA FL |
Contact PIA
If you would like to suggest content to be added to this page, please email alexipa@pianet.org.
Financial Assistance
Financial assistance may be available to individuals and business owners through either FEMA and/or the Small Business Administration (SBA) among other sources. Here are a few resources to assist you:
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA website)
Small Business Administration Disaster Recovery Information (SBA website)
SBA Disaster Loan General Information (summary provided to PIA)
Alternate Office Space Available
For PIA member agents who are in the path of Hurricane Rita, PIA National has identified several agents who are willing to accommodate you with desk space, if you need to evacuate and do business from a remote location:
Don Miller
Texian Insurance Agency, Inc.
Belton, TX (about 60 miles north of Austin)
254-939-7000
don@texianinsurance.com
Mark Solomon
All Auto Insurance Agency, Inc.
Dallas, TX
214-739-5610
marksr@assurnet.biz
Jimmy Beathard
Beathard Insurance Agency, Inc.
Conroe, TX
936-756-0988
jim@beathardinsurance.com
State/Federal Government
Texas
TDI's Consumer Help Line (1-800-252-3439) will be staffed 7-days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Up-to-date information will be posted on TDI's Web site, with the latest agency bulletins, locations of FEMA's Disaster Recovery Centers and Insurance Assistance Centers and contact information for consumers. For assistance with insurance questions, call (800) 252-3439. For assistance with workers' compensation issues, call (800) 372-7713.
Federal
Oil/Hazardous Materials Report (Dept of Homeland Security, 9/25/05)
FEMA National Situation Reports (daily reports)
Additional Information About Rita
Additional information can be found in the Natural Disaster issue section of this web site. |
PIA has set up this national Hurricane Katrina Resource Center to aid both consumers and insurance agents. If you would like to suggest content that would be useful to either group, please email alexipa@pianet.org
Old Information Which May Be Useful
Preparation
Preparing for Tropical Storm Rita (Texas Department of Insurance)
Agents in the affected area, please read PIA National's Hurricane Rita – Preparedness Alert!!!
Texas Department of Insurance – Hurricane Rita Preparations (9/22/05):
The Texas Department of Insurance announced it is preparing staff and resources to be ready for the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, wherever the storm makes landfall. TDI said it is maintaining staff at the Division of Emergency Management State Operations Center. TDI is part of the Rapid Assessment Team that will go into the disaster area to survey the extent of damage.
TDI is conducting regular briefings with the Texas State Disaster Coalition, a group that includes industry members, to assure clear communication and full coordination following any disaster.
TDI is securing department assets and personnel in the storm's path, including Financial, Windstorm, State Fire Marshal's Office and Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) field offices. DWC field offices that may be affected by the storm, including the Beaumont, Corpus Christi, Houston, Missouri City, and Victoria offices will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 22 and Friday, Sept. 23. Injured workers needing assistance in the affected areas may contact the DWC by calling (800) 252-7031 or (800) 372-7713.
TDI is assembling several teams to be ready to deploy to FEMA's Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs). At the DRCs, TDI staff will assist consumers with insurance questions and claims.
TDI staff will also be sent to Insurance Assistance Centers (IACs). An IAC includes industry representatives co-located with TDI staff to provide one-stop insurance assistance to consumers.
TDI's Consumer Help Line (1-800-252-3439) will be staffed 7-days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
TDI will conduct outreach activities to shelters and consumer organizations so that Texans impacted by the disaster know how to get help with insurance matters.
TDI is preparing a number of regulatory bulletins regarding Commissioner directives in response to the disaster, including data collection, extension of deadlines, waiver of certain requirements, etc.
TDI will closely monitor the financial condition and responsiveness of the industry, especially regarding consumer complaints.
Up-to-date information will be posted on TDI's Web site, with the latest agency bulletins, locations of DRCs and IACs and contact information for consumers. For assistance with insurance questions, call (800) 252-3439. For assistance with workers' compensation issues, call (800) 372-7713.
PIA of Fla. Educational Event Answers Essential Hurricane, Catastrophe Planning Questions (Insurance Journal, 9/22/05)
Offsite Backup
Must respond by noon Friday 9/23/05:
The following is an “offer to help” from the National Auto Agents Alliance. If you will be affected by the approaching storm and feel the need to back up your computers “off site,” contact The Kotter Group at the number listed below.
They have offered their Guardian Angel system for FREE for the next two weeks, which will hopefully be all the time needed to get things back up and running. Please pass the word along to any agent or company that might have a need for assistance....but you need to do it TODAY, as the group is going to Mississippi to help with THAT storm.
--Tom Sorrels, President, NAAA
If any agent would like to use our GA program to protect their data, we’ll give them a free account. However it would have to be done before noon on Friday. We are closing earlier on Friday and driving down to Mississippi to help with the clean up efforts. This account would be good for two weeks. That should get people past the storm. After that, they can decide to keep it or not.
Call 678-990-1572 to get your free account setup. Please identify yourself as an agents from Texas so we know to set it up for free.
Adam Kotter
The Kotter Group
Phone: (770) 717-1777 x238
E-mail: adam@kotter.net