Dear Agent, Hurricane Harvey is expected to make landfall Friday night or early Saturday morning along the Texas Gulf Coast. TWIA is prepared to help policyholders and agents affected by the storm. Please provide the following suggestions to your clients to ensure they can recover as quickly as possible: Prior to the storm making landfall: - Follow evacuation instructions issued by your local authorities.
- Take important documents with you, especially your insurance policy information.
- If time permits, take a photo or video inventory of your property (interior and exterior) and email it to yourself to help with claim filing.
Prior to filing a claim: - Review your TWIA insurance coverage, knowing what is covered and what isn’t:
- Know your coverage limits and understand your deductible, especially if filing a claim for the first time.
- Remember: TWIA does not cover storm surge/flood damage, and flood insurance does not cover wind damage.
- Assess property damage, and take pictures or video of the damage.
- For fastest service, file claims by calling TWIA’s 24-hour Claims Center at 800-788-8247. Claims may also be filed online at TWIA.org/claimscenter.
- Have your TWIA policy number, best contact information, and property damage details ready.
After filing a claim: - Focus on protecting your property:
- Make temporary or minor repairs to prevent further property damage.
- Keep receipts and records of payment for any temporary repairs.
- Do not begin making permanent repairs until TWIA has contacted you and your property has been inspected (if applicable).
- Maintain contact with TWIA about your claim; this ensures it is resolved most quickly:
- Respond promptly to phone calls and/or emails and requests for information about your claim.
- Schedule repairs and consider holding back a portion of the repair payment until the entire project is completed to your satisfaction.
- Be wary of out-of-state contractors who show up at your door unexpectedly. Check with the Better Business Bureau for a history of complaints.
- Understand the windstorm building code requirements for your area and contact the TDI Windstorm Inspections Program to schedule an inspection for applicable repairs.
TWIA knows many agents have been evacuated or closed their offices in anticipation of the storm. To further assist with post-storm recovery, we invite you to put TWIA’s website (www.TWIA.org/claimscenter), 24-hour Claims Center phone number (800-788-8247), and claim filing information on your out of office messages to help your clients file claims as quickly as possible after the storm. We will keep you updated about claim filing information before and after the storm. Please also visit our website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on this storm and TWIA’s response to it. Sincerely, Texas Windstorm Insurance Association |
