By Crawford & Company
TORONTO (April 30, 2020) Crawford & Company® (NYSE: CRD-A and CRD-B), the world’s largest publicly listed independent provider of claims management and outsourcing solutions to carriers, brokers and corporates announced today that their resources are on the ground in Fort McMurray to respond to potential claims arising from the flooding as soon as conditions permit. Additional resources are staged in the firm’s nearby offices to provide support when required. Fort McMurray is a region that is all too familiar to Crawford’s adjusters and managers, where a large team helped the community recover from the devastating wildfires four years ago.
Up to 15,000 Fort McMurray residents were forced to leave their homes by Monday evening, as the the rivers surrounding the city began flooding early Sunday morning. The situation is developing rapidly and conditions on the ground are changing almost hourly. With evacuations in place, access to the affected areas is restricted and will be for several days. In response, Crawford adjusters in Fort McMurray, along with employees who live in the community, have been on site since day one, helping triage losses and complete emergency on-site assessments where necessary.
“COVID-19 precautions and travel restrictions will make this a unique and challenging event to manage. However, Crawford has been developing plans since the early days of the pandemic to handle this type of scenario. The nature of these losses and severity of damage is such that we anticipate the need to complete on-site inspections in most cases. At the same time, we will have to follow social distancing protocols and COVID-19 safety precautions”, said Jim Eso, senior vice president, Crawford Claims Solutions in Canada.
“When the time comes for our adjusters to travel into the region, we will do it safely. Crawford’s Catastrophe team has secured the equipment and facilities that our adjusters need, including accommodations, workspaces and personal protective equipment. Crawford adjusters from across Alberta are being assigned new claims and are conducting remote inspections using our YouGoLook software while they wait for access to the region”, said Walter Waugh, vice president operations, Western Canada.
Crawford is monitoring the situation very closely to assess whether any additional support is needed for the community. “This week’s events and evacuations will be very difficult, and we will do everything we can to support them through this event as we fulfill our mission of restoring and enhancing lives, businesses and communities”, concluded Eso.
For catastrophe claims support, please contact:
Ron Biggs
Vice President, Property & Capacity Solutions
Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
Tel: 403-536-3689
Email: [email protected]
For media inquiries, please contact:
Greg Smith
Chief Client Officer
Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
Tel: 519-957-5012
Email: [email protected]
Based in Atlanta, Crawford & Company (NYSE: CRD‐A and CRD‐B) is the world’s largest publicly listed independent provider of claims management and outsourcing solutions to carriers, brokers and corporates with an expansive global network serving clients in more than 70 countries. The Company’s two classes of stock are substantially identical, except with respect to voting rights and the Company’s ability to pay greater cash dividends on the non-voting Class A Common Stock (CRD-A) than on the voting Class B Common Stock (CRD-B), subject to certain limitations. In addition, with respect to mergers or similar transactions, holders of CRD-A must receive the same type and amount of consideration as holders of CRD-B, unless different consideration is approved by the holders of 75 percent of CRD-A, voting as a class.
