Claims handlers at Catalyst Services UK recently attended the National Flood School as part of their insurance apprenticeships, gaining insights into flooding causes and solutions.
Louise Shepherd, Dominic Weiss and Damian Elder participated in the programme as part of their Chartered Institute of Insurance Apprenticeships, the company said, adding that this was the first time Wiser Academy, which runs the apprenticeship programme, incorporated a visit to the facility to provide a detailed understanding of flooding and its impact.
The Catalyst employees observed a demonstration of a flooded household kitchen, assisted in cleaning up the floodwater and learned the benefits of protective footwear. They were also introduced to various technologies, including thermal imaging for detecting water leaks, which is a leading cause of internal flooding and equipment for rehabilitating flood-damaged buildings.
The facility also showcased ceiling and wall leaks and structural designs, materials, and technologies aimed at increasing flood resilience in homes and commercial properties.
The Catalyst employees are halfway through their apprenticeships.
In an interview with Insurance Business in December, John Bissell, executive director at the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters, said that the 2023 to 2024 period saw “unprecedented extreme weathers.”
The Environment Agency also released data showing that the number of properties in England at risk of flooding rose to 6.3 million, or 15% higher than the 5.5 million figures reported in 2018.
During that month, Storm Darragh swept through the UK, prolonging heavy rainfall over last autumn and winter and leaving many homeowners with ongoing problems.
In fact, according to CRESTA, the global insurance industry experienced a year dominated by flooding, with 78% of the year’s total losses attributed to flood-related events.
Ami Beveridge, Catalyst’s client operations manager, said that the insights its team members are getting from the programme is “very valuable” to its clients who are looking to build resilience into their claims responses.
Catalyst’s managing director Brad Jackson also said that the National Flood School has the facilities to show the different aspects of flooding. “It also demonstrates the latest measures to protect properties against flooding. But the best bit is that it can actually cause floods in a building to get the learning points across,” he said. “That’s quite powerful.”
Catalyst provides below-ground investigation, maintenance, repair, and emergency response services to the insurance, loss adjusting, and property management sectors. Its services include drainage, off-mains drainage, water supply pipe solutions, leak detection, subsidence investigation and monitoring, and home emergency response.
