The Florida Association of Insurance Agents’ state-of-the-art catastrophe response vehicle (CRV) recently arrived in Greensburg, Kan., to assist insurance agents whose offices were demolished by the tornado that made national news broadcasts around the country in early May. The fully equipped mobile response unit will provide the agents with immediate access to customer records and policies so they can facilitate the claims process.
The first of many devastating tornados struck just after 9 p.m. on May 4 and killed 12 people in Kansas. It touched down near the county seat of Coldwater and roared along a 22-mile path straight through Greensburg, ending a little after 10 p.m., just northwest of town. The tornado destroyed 90 percent or more of the farming town of about 1,400 people.
“After the devastation the people of Greensburg have faced, we felt it was our duty to offer them this resource,” said FAIA President and CEO Jeff Grady. “The CRV will supply the agents who lost their businesses with the supplies and communications tools they need to aid their customers in the recovery process.”
Both FAIA and the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America reached out to their counterpart in Kansas to offer help after the tornado — the most powerful to hit the United States in the last eight years.
“We are truly grateful to the agents in Florida for lending us this wonderful resource,” said Larry Magill, executive vice president for the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents. “I casually remarked about the usefulness of Florida’s CRV and less than a day later, agents were driving to drop off the vehicle in Greensburg.”
The fully renovated mobile response unit, outfitted with the latest satellite and computer technology, allows agents to access customer records and policies, assess damages, and file claims. Also included on-board is a Direct TV satellite, Global Positioning System, satellite phone capability, XM satellite radio, wireless Internet access, a generator, laptops and printers. In addition, the vehicle is stocked with storm victim supplies, basic office recovery items and other useful disaster response resources.
Without the use of this vehicle, it would be close to impossible for us to assist our customers in filing claims,” said Linda Crowe of People’s Insurance, one of the agents staffing the vehicle. “Our offices, like every other building in this town, were obliterated. During such a trying time, it’s comforting to know that we have a lifeline in another state.”
Crowe, along with Chris Ballard of Corns & Ballard Agency, will be operating out of the unit for the next few weeks, which is positioned in the heart of the newly desolate town. Amidst the rubble and a few remaining walls, the CRV is one of the only vehicles on what was once main street.
“In a matter of minutes, this tornado disrupted and changed these residents lives forever,” said Magill. “But the people of this town are resilient and are already starting to rebuild. With resources like the CRV and the outpouring of support, it is a much swifter and more manageable process.”
Losses exceed $153 million
The Kansas Department of Insurance recently released data from 33 insurance company groups, which represent approximately 85 percent of the top volume writers of the property insurance market in Kansas. According to the department $82 million of insured property losses have been paid to date. It is estimated that when all claims are completed for final adjustment, the insured property losses from the Greensburg tornado will likely exceed $153 million, officials said.
“The insurance industry has been exemplary in their response to the devastation in Greensburg,” said Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger. “There were insurance company adjusters on their way as early as 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, the day after the tornado.”
Insurance Department officials estimated that approximately 80 percent of affected policyholders had received emergency funds from their respective insurance companies within seven days. In addition, the department has received only one official written complaint out of over 1,900 claims that have been reported.
Source: FAIA, Kansas Department of Insurance
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