Insurance village to remain open Tuesday

Sept. 19--Liz Luke scanned the Home Depot parking lot, shielding her eyes from the sun. There were almost a dozen tents, tables and large RVs lined up throughout the lot, representing a number of insurance companies.

But Luke was quick to note what was missing.

"It was advertised that FEMA was going to be here ... and it is disappointing that they are not," she said.

Luke was able to speak with representatives of her own insurance company to address the damage her Brunswick property received from Hurricane Irma.

"I had a lot of debris. Three trees are down. The roof is damaged," she said. "It has been a challenge, but it is just by the grace of God that I'm here."

Others, who like Luke stopped in at the Catastrophe Claims Village in Brunswick on Monday, were wondering why the Federal Emergency Management Agency was missing. The event, which was organized by the Georgia Commissioner of Insurance's office, was designed to bring together local claimants and providers to help answer questions and get the claims process rolling.

Jay Florence, deputy commissioner of insurance for the state, said he had heard a number of attendees mention FEMA's absence.

"We know they are disappointed that FEMA isn't here, but we have their information and have been giving that out, so hopefully we can help them get that going," he said. "And of course they can discuss their claims with providers we have here."

Justin Tomczak, a spokesperson for State Farm, was on hand to help do just that. He noted that the company understood the struggle of residents who want to get back on their feet as soon as possible.

"We have a lot of damage ... over 10,000 claims in Georgia, but by comparison there are 30,000 in Florida," he said. "Most of the damage has been from trees rather than flooding. But we didn't have much loss of life, which is the most important thing. We can rebuild things, that is why you have insurance. We're here to help rebuild but you can't rebuild your life."

Renee Rhodes and Cindy Hardy, representatives from Assurant, had seen a similar situation but noted that their company has seen quite a few flood claims from subscribers throughout the region.

"We have seen a lot of flooding claims," Hardy said.

"We haven't seen a lot of people coming here though which is good because that means they are getting answers online and over the phone," Rhodes added.

But the women will return to the claims village to greet any subscriber who has questions in the next day or so. The Catastrophe Claims Village will operate in the parking lot of the Home Depot, 200 Altama Connector in Brunswick. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday as well.

"We're here to help," Rhodes noted.

As far as moving forward, Florence hopes residents will continue to file claims and get their damage covered. He also hopes that this storm will help prepare others in the future.

"Now is the time to prepare for the future and look at your policy. Make sure you understand what is covered and what is now before another drastic strike," he said.

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