2008-09-05 23:18:02 -
- Zurich Steve McKay, 847-706-2265 Zurich, a leading property and casualty insurance provider in North America and globally, said today more than 100 professionals and independent adjusters are on the ground in Louisiana and Texas to assist customers impacted by Hurricane Gustav. While Zurich is reaching out as quickly as possible to help customers in the region, the company's response
started well before the storm made landfall.
"Several days before Gustav made landfall, our Claims team made calls to major Zurich customers in the Gulf Coast area, particularly those who were affected by Hurricane Katrina," said Rick Morgan, senior vice president of Claims for Zurich North America Commercial. "We have received responses from many of these customers expressing their gratitude for our offer to provide any assistance they may require. Of particular importance to them was that we called early to give them the names of the adjusters who would be handling any potential claims."
As Gustav entered the Gulf of Mexico last week, Zurich contacted major distributors from Beaumont, Texas, to Pensacola, Fla., to let them know Zurich was available to assist and provide updated contact information and claims-paying contingency plans in the event distributors were unable to operate after the storm.
"Zurich takes a pro-active approach to helping our customers," said Morgan. "A call bank of 25 of our Claims personnel has been contacting more than 240 Zurich distributors in the Gulf Coast region to gauge their immediate needs. If we cannot contact a distributor by phone, Zurich North America Commercial CAT field response team members are visiting the location. In areas where distributor locations are unable to operate, we send team members to both bring supplies and physically transport claims, if necessary."
Morgan said that a number of lessons were learned from Hurricane Katrina where, in many cases, the most basic physical infrastructure was destroyed.
"We learned that we needed to ensure we had the staffing levels necessary to contact our distributors and customers when conditions made it difficult to do so," he said. "It is important for us to be able to reach out to them to determine how best we can be of assistance in getting help for businesses in the stricken areas to be up and running as soon as possible. With the large number of commercial customers Zurich has in this region, our effective response is important to the recovery of the local economy overall, as well as to each customer."
Editors' Note: Rick Morgan is available to talk about how insurers prepare for and respond to varying level of hurricanes and other catastrophic events.
About Zurich Financial Services
Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich) is an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America and Europe as well as in Asia Pacific, Latin America and other markets. Founded in 1872, the Group is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. It employs approximately 60,000 people serving customers in more than 170 countries. In North America, Zurich (www.zurichna.com) is a leading commercial property-casualty insurance provider serving the global corporate, large corporate, middle market, specialties and programs sectors.
¶ Delivering Claims Resources Where and When It Matters
