Sometimes the statistics speak for themselves.
Last year’s winter storms caused horrific levels of damage in the UK: insurers paid out £1.3 billion in customer claims, dealt with 15,100 insurance claims for flooded properties and around 6,600 claims for flood damaged vehicles, with 3,900 families displaced and the average cost of repairing each flooded home expected to be around £50,000. Indeed emergency payments worth £49 million were made to businesses in the first few weeks alone to support them as they got back on their feet.
This year, however, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) wants to make sure it can deal with things even faster – with what it describes as an “army” of more than 5,000 staff primed and ready for action.
It states that insurers have 2,750 people to handle calls about claims, with phone lines staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; and 2,250 people available to send in on the ground to support customers, assess damage and initiate repairs.
“Floods are devastating – for families, for businesses and for whole communities. Last winter’s storms were a stark reminder of how vulnerable we can be to the forces of nature and insurers have already been helping those affected by Storm Angus last month,” said Huw Evans, ABI general director.
“We all hope not to see a repeat of last winter’s storms, but if the worst happens insurers are ready to help, on the phone and in person, whatever time of the day or night the flood waters come. The trauma of flooding can be long-lasting because of the unavoidable time it takes to properly repair a home or business swamped by water.”
Insurers have immediate access to tens of thousands of drying machines and equipment to start the vital process of drying out flooded premises, with many more thousands in reserve. Contracts with hotels and letting agents ensure people whose homes have flooded can be given somewhere warm and dry to stay with only a few hours’ notice, ahead of more long-term alternative accommodation being found.
The ABI also highlighted that the insurance industry will take the lead on finding the many thousands of builders, decorators and other contractors needed to dry out and restore people’s homes and businesses.
Related stories:
Once-in-a-century floods now no longer low risk
93% of winter flood insurance claims settled
