ABI moves to reassure customers about insurers' response to floods

The ABI is reassuring home-owners and businesses hit by Storm Desmond over the weekend that insurers are doing “everything possible” to help them recover.

Provisional figures suggest more than 340mm of rain fell in 24 hours in the Lake District - a new British record if verified, the BBC reports.

And it has been reported that up to 5,000 homes in Northern England and Southern Scotland have been flooded.

The ABI says steps insurers are taking include:

• Arranging and paying for temporary alternative accommodation (or, for businesses, temporary trading premises).
• Drafting in any additional claims staff needed to give information and advice to customers whose properties have been flooded.
• Pro-actively contacting customers in flooded areas, through phone calls, texts and social media to see if they need to claim.
• Prioritising elderly and vulnerable customers.
• Mobilising teams of claims handlers to visit flooded customers as soon as possible to assess the damage and get claims moving. Insurers had representatives in badly flooded areas over the weekend.
• As soon as flood waters recede, visiting properties to assess the damage and arrange drying out.
• Doing all they can to ensure repairers are available to start repairs as soon as it is safe to do so.
• Making interim emergency payments to support flooded customers.

ABI director of general insurance James Dalton, Director said: “Flooding brings misery to homeowners and businesses, which is why insurers are pulling out all the stops to help their customers recover as soon as possible.

“While it too early to say what the cost of the flooding will be, insurers are geared up for events like this and have mobilised their contingency plans to help customers through this stressful time.”

“While it will take time for badly flooded properties to fully dry out, insurers will arrange temporary alternative accommodation while properties are uninhabitable.”

According to the Environment Agency there are currently 46 severe flood warnings in the North West where there is a danger to life and 36 flood warnings in the North East and North West where flooding is expected.