More Than 18,000 Post-Matthew Insurance Claims Filed In Beaufort County

May 01--Insurance companies have paid out more than $159.3 million on nearly 18,200 claims from Hurricane Matthew in Beaufort County since the October storm, Ray Farmer, the S.C. Department of Insurance director, said Monday.

While some in the region are still trying to get home, 87 percent of the 18,193 insurance claims filed to date for residential and commercial structures in Beaufort County have been closed, Farmer told The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette.

Overall, there have been 114,700 hurricane-related insurance claims filed statewide so far, with nearly $587 million in paid losses, Farmer said.

"If you look at the bigger scheme of things, insurance companies have done what they are supposed to do," he said. "They have come in and paid the claims. With this number of claims, you are going to have some disputes, and we are still working through those."

Farmer said the department is able to assist residents across the state experiencing difficulties with insurance companies. About 25 complaints have been filed by Hilton Head property owners, he said.

"We have a staff of 10 people," Farmer said. "That is what they do day in and out. They handle consumer complaints. I think the insurance companies have performed well, but we still have people with blue tarps -- so their work is not done."

Maxine Uttal, of Hilton Head Island, is one of those residents with a blue tarp on her roof. A struggle with her insurance company has left her renting a house down the street, she told the newspapers last week, noting she had filed several complaints with the state Department of Insurance.

Uttal said there was movement from her insurance company after her complaints were filed.

"We have had a large number of calls," Farmer said. "In most cases we can answer our consumers' questions over the phone, and that satisfies them. If there continues to be an issue, we ask them to file a complaint, and then we contact the company and try to get the parties to come to a resolution."

Hilton Head islanders have filed 7,587 insurance claims since the Oct. 8 storm, and about $97.8 million has been paid out so far, Farmer said.

There are likely many island residents still waiting on insurance or contractors, town officials recently said.

The town has identified 2,822 structures that sustained enough significant damage from Hurricane Matthew to require a repair permit, said Teri Lewis, the town's Land Management Ordinance official. Permits have been issued for 986 buildings, or about 35 percent of the total, she said.

Farmer said the department plans to hold a public hearing along with a "Storm Ready Expo" in Beaufort County in June. He said the event could help residents become better prepared for the next hurricane.

"After what we have seen for the last two Octobers, everyone in the state needs to be prepared for some weather-related event," he said.

The public hearing will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. June 8 at the Bluffton Town Hall Auditorium, 20 Bridge St. The "Storm Ready Expo" will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 10 at the Bluffton Home Depot, 20 Gateway Village Road.

Teresa Moss: 843-706-8152, @TeresaIPBG

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