Believe it or not, most agencies don't consider catastrophes an area of concern — until disaster strikes close to home. This is all the more surprising because agents are in the business of selling protection! To help the cause, Grace Bauer has provided an agency checklist of what needs to be done before and after a catastrophe, together with other areas to consider.
BEFORE THE DISASTER
- Establish agreements with other insurance agencies for support;
- Contact associations for assistance;
- Determine cash necessary;
- Discuss possible cash flow after a disaster;
- Prepare computer areas: Generator, automation vendor catastrophe plans, UPS system, terminals, backup, backup storage, and powering-down instructions;
- Secure all files;
- Organize employee assistance: Relocation, additional supplies, handicapped employees, people who live within walking distance of the office, out-of-state relatives, evacuation routes, transportation needs, and shelters;
- Coordinate personnel duties;
- Seek temporary employees;
- Schedule coverage review workshops with staff;
- Review facility catastrophe plans; power, telephone, and water;
- Schedule fire drills;
- Coordinate with insurance companies: Communication, binding authority, special catastrophe information, adjusters, draft authority, status reports, and tracking systems;
- Plan for notification of insureds: Documentation, brochure, letter/bulletin/newsletter, and walk-ins;
- Plan for down mail service;
- Write possible news release;
- Set continued update meetings with staff;
- Plan for supplies: Emergency, office, claims, staff;
- Organize telephones: Phone system, listings, local phone vendor, isolated/dedicated lines, manual phones, forwarding phones, faxes, and cell phones; and
- Clear work areas.
AFTER THE DISASTER
- Restore building: Electricity and repairs; or
- Move to alternate facility;
- Contact catastrophe sites;
- Detail claim process, with and without automation;
- Prepare non-claims staff: Frequently asked questions and temporary repairs;
- List repair shops;
- Carry out claim log, company loss and contingency purposes.
- Include details of Flood policy: Insured notification, exclusions, and post-flood procedures;
- Review Wind exclusions;
- Seek professional counseling services; and
- Document selling procedures.
OTHER AREAS TO CONSIDER
- Preparation for medical emergencies: Response, first aid, CPR, and hospitals;
- Procedures for loss of power;
- Tornadoes or hurricanes;
- Alarms: Fire and security; and.
- Bomb threat and fire procedures: Report, evacuation routes, personnel, and backup.
Although you might think that a catastrophe can never strike your agency, tuck this checklist away in an easy-to-find place. Remember, being prepared takes away much of the worry when catastrophe strikes. Review what needs to be done before a disaster. Consider all areas that might come up after a disaster. Check out those other items.
Being prepared is everything. Pull out your list, review essential areas with the staff, and make sure that your agency has peace of mind in the event of an unexpected disaster.