Disaster Recovery Resources
Few Texans will forget August of 2017 – Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane made landfall near Rockport, Texas causing widespread damage. More than 30 inches of rain fell on over 8 million people, based on 7-day rainfall totals ending August 31. This historic U.S. rainfall caused massive flooding that displaced over 30,000 people and damaged or destroyed over 200,000 homes and businesses.*
We put together a few tips to make sure you’re prepared and protected this hurricane season:
- Review your insurance needs before hurricane season and evaluate the need for wind, flood and business interruption coverage.
- Create a hurricane preparedness and a business continuity plan, review and practice them annually.
- Prepare the following lists for reference:
a. Employees including emergency contact information,
b. Steps to help protect your operation (board windows, move vehicles to higher ground, off-site data backups, controlled electrical shutdowns, remove hazardous chemicals, secure loose materials or remove them from your site, etc.),
c. Vendors that are critical to your daily operations. - Have backup vendors outside of the affected area for raw materials or critical path services.
- Add necessary contacts of colleagues, vendors and emergency services to your cellphone.
- Make copies of important documents such as insurance policies, banking records and account numbers.
- Establish secondary operating location(s) for both field and business operations.
- Set up secondary communications such as dedicated phone lines, 800 numbers, radios and satellite phones.
- Listen for government updates and follow mandatory orders to evacuate.
- Coordinate with employees who plan to stay about immediate recovery efforts.
- Capture and apply lessons learned from previous events.
*Source: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/events
- Review your homeowners insurance policy to ensure your coverage levels are adequate for the value of your home. Be sure to check for flood insurance policies, as most are not included in homeowners policies and they don’t automatically renew.
- Take pictures of your home and secondary properties and have them readily available in a water/fireproof container or on your smartphone.
- Make copies of your important documents such as insurance policies, personal identification documents, banking records, etc. Keep them in a water/fireproof container or have them accessible through your smartphone.
- Maintain basic emergency supplies (i.e. nonperishable food, bottled water, medications, flashlights, a portable charger, jumper cables and other tools, a wool blanket, and a change of clothes).
- Protect your home by reinforcing windows and doors, trim or remove trees close enough to fall on buildings and keep gutters and drains free of debris. Elevate the heating system (furnace), water heater and electric panel if susceptible to flooding.
- Fill your vehicle with fuel in case you need to evacuate or get stuck in a storm while on the road.
- Know your evacuation plan – where you will meet and stay and check with the Department of Transportation to find routes near you.
*Source: www.recovery.texas.gov/preparedness/hurricane-preparedness
Taking proactive measures to safeguard your home from a hurricane may also help keep premium increases down. Because homeowners premiums are based on risk factors, adding safety measures like a backup generator, a water leak detection system, lightning protection and/or a temperature-monitoring system could earn you a discount.
If your personal or business property has sustained damages and you need to file a claim, we encourage you to contact your carrier directly to expedite the process. Below are instructions on how to file a claim and the contact information for the personal and commercial carriers Frost partners with.
Most insurance carriers offer apps allowing you to file a claim directly quickly and easily. Check your app store to see if your carrier offers this technology.
We are here to help. Call us at (866) 227-2099 or you may reach out to your local Frost Insurance office at the numbers below.
1. Protect property from further damage.
- Cover the property if it is exposed to the elements.
- Make temporary repairs, if reasonable and necessary, to protect the property from further damage.
- Maintain a record of all expenses incurred.
- Separate damaged from undamaged personal property.
2. Take photos of damage (if possible).
3. Prepare an inventory of damaged personal property.
- List quantity, description and value.
- Attach bills, receipts, estimates and related documents.
4. Retain damaged property until a claims adjuster approves its disposal (unless a danger to safety exists).
- The adjuster may need to inspect the property.
- The insurance company may be able to salvage the damaged property.
5. Notify police in the case of theft.
6. Expect to be contacted by the claims adjuster within two working days. Please call Frost Insurance if you have not been contacted within that timeframe.
- If the damage significantly affects your continuing operations, we will request that the insurance carrier expedite your claim.
- Please let us know immediately if your circumstances change and this loss will have a greater impact on your business than originally anticipated.
7. Be prepared to provide additional information as requested by the claims adjuster.
8. Consider or plan for alternative arrangements in the event your premises has damage that does not permit you to remain there.
| AIG (888) 760-9195 |
Mercury (800) 503-3724 |
Safeco (800) 332-3226 |
| Assurant/American Bankers: Flood (800) 423-4403 reportfloodclaim@assurant.com |
National Lloyds (800) 749-6419 claims@natlloyds.com |
State Auto (800) 766-1853 |
| Central (888) 263-2924 |
NFIP: Flood (800) 427-4661 |
Travelers (800) 252-4633 |
| Chubb (800) 252-4670 |
Nationwide Private Client (855) 473-6410 privateclient_claims@nationwide.com |
Vault (844) 388-5677 claimsFNOL@vault.insurance |
| Cincinnati (888) 242-8811 |
Progressive (800) 274-4499 |
Wright: Flood (800) 725-9472 |
| Hocheim (888) 473-6256 |
Pure (888) 813-7873 |
| Acuity (800) 242-7666 |
Hartford (800) 553-1710 agentfaxreporting.claim@thehartford.com |
State Auto (800) 766-1853 claims@stateauto.com |
| Assurant/American Bankers: Flood (800) 423-4403 reportfloodclaim@assurant.com |
Liberty Mutual (800) 362-0000 clclaimreports@libertymutual.com |
Travelers (800) 238-6225 |
| CNA (877) 262-2727 lossreport@cnaasap.com |
Mercury (800) 503-3724 |
Union Standard (800) 444-0049 usigclaims@usic.com |
| Central (800) 736-7000 lossnotices@central-insurance.com |
Nationwide Private Client (855) 473-6410 privateclient_claims@nationwide.com |
United Fire (800) 343-9131 newclaims@unitedfiregroup.com |
| Chubb (800) 252-4670 |
NFIP: Flood (800) 427-4661 |
Wright: Flood (800) 725-9472 |
| Crum & Forster (800) 690-5520 crumandforsternol@cfins.com |
Philadelphia (800) 765-9749 claimsreport@phly.com |
Zurich (800) 239-4829 |
| Hanover (800) 628-0250 firstreport@hanover.com |
Qeo (844) 736-0009 claims@qeo.com |
If your carrier is not listed above, please reach out to your local Frost Insurance office at the numbers below.
| Austin (512) 473-4520 |
San Antonio (210) 220-6420 |
Victoria (361) 580-9010 |
| Houston (713) 388-1250 |
Dallas (214) 515-4145 |
Fort Worth (817) 420-5700 |
| Corpus Christi (361) 580-9010 |
Rio Grande Valley (361) 580-9010 |
San Marcos (210) 220-6420 |
| Permian Basin (817) 420-5700 |
College Station (713) 388-1250 |
More resources may be found at the Texas Department of Insurance website.
If you need restoration services, here are some reputable companies you may contact.
Frost Insurance Agency does not endorse these companies, further Frost does not make any guarantees or representations of effectiveness of products offered by these providers.