While Hurricane Matthew didn’t hit the state as hard as some had feared, it left plenty of damage in its wake. More than 39,000 Florida residents have filed insurance claims—mostly due to property damage—and that number is expected rise.
Speaking to a St. Johns County couple in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew Wednesday, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater offered his sympathy for their property loss.
“Our expressions of regret that you had to go through this, but you’re up on your feet, and you’re fighting back,” he said.
Atwater, Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier, as well as other state and local officials recently toured Davis Shores—a St. Augustine neighborhood—or as Sen. (R-St. Augustine) Travis Hutson calls it, “this is ground zero. I’m glad people are out here to see it.”
Hutson says the goal of the trip was to take the tour with insurance company executives and connect them with people in need.
“As you talk about what’s happened with this storm, we’ve got a lot of damage from roads to beach erosion,” he added. “But, in terms of property, in terms of houses, we’re at ground zero right now, over 300 homes that are just not inhabitable anymore. This is all about recovery now and making sure people get back to their daily lives.”
Residents across the state are raising concerns that insurance companies are taking too long. And, CFO Atwater says he and Altmaier are working to address that.
“And, we’ve been on the phone with them, and their commitment is to absolutely focus on getting to every consumer, everyone back on their feet, taking care of them completely,” said Atwater. “From our conversations with them, they are talking, they are calling, they are canvassing the streets themselves, talking to their insureds, wanting to hear if there is an issue they can jump on for them.”
Atwater says the tours and roundtable discussions he and other officials have held will only make that more pronounced.
“So, our goal here is personal safety was first,” he added. “Now, we’re in the recovery and that recovery must be fast, it must be effective, it must be efficient, people paid a fair and right price to be taken care of and these insurance company execs are going to be sure they’re taken care of. And, David and I will help facilitate that process, wherever it needs assistance and resources.”
About a week ago, just five thousand claims had been filed, due to Hurricane Matthew. As of Friday, that number is nearing 40,000—totaling about $218 million in losses so far.
Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier says those are only preliminary estimates, and he expects the number to go much higher over the next several weeks.
“This is an opportunity for the insurance company that they’re ready for events of this scale, and they’re ready to respond to the situation that these folks in this neighborhood are in today,” he said. “And, so, we’re going to make sure that as the CFO said, that we continue those discussions and make sure that that’s happening and if there’s a reason why it’s not happening, that we assist consumers and companies in removing barriers to that happening and making sure that the claims process gets underway rapidly and efficiently and a consumer-centric fashion.”
Meanwhile, CFO Atwater says Floridians should make sure to take photos of any Hurricane Matthew-related damage and call your insurance company right away. He also warns residents to watch out for disaster repair scams. Atwater says there have already been multiple reports of such scams.
Those who need assistance can also contact the CFO’s Division of Consumer Services Helpline at 1-877—MY-FL-CFO or visit myFloridaCFO.com.
For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.
