Florida Wildfires

By Scott Congiusti, Claims Professional

A long period of hot, dry and windy weather – the perfect mix for wildfires.  Within the last few days, the central Atlantic coast of Florida has been devastated by wildfires and placed under a state of emergency by Governor Charlie Crist.

The areas most affected by the wildfires were Volusia and Brevard Counties, the home to a handful of PURE members.  The names and addresses of any PURE member potentially at risk were identified and marked on a map to compare known fire boundaries with actual home locations.  Every agent partner linked to these homes was contacted by e-mail and telephone to inquire about any potential losses and to offer any assistance members evacuated from their homes.  Even though our members were not directly affected by this disaster, it was extremely important to keep them well-informed and most importantly, safe.

Usually a large-scale loss, such as a wildfire, is handled ‘after the fact’ as the total loss of a home.  With a large fire, sometimes a home will still end up a total loss, but what is often forgotten is that this is someone’s home, both in the literal and figurative sense.  At PURE, having the resources to contact the membership and agent partners before a potential loss is a benefit unparalleled by any other carrier.  In the event the homes in Volusia and Brevard Counties were in danger of a loss, here are a few ways we could help:

• Provide the member with temporary housing during an evacuation;
• Provide ‘pack out’ service for valuables within the home to avoid additional loss;
• Be sure that the member’s vehicles are also removed from the property;
• Provide a Member Advocate to assist at the residence in any way possible (packing, belongings, transportation, etc).

These are only a few ways PURE can help.  A PURE member should always have peace of mind knowing that our staff isn’t just waiting until a loss happens, they are working to prevent one.  If you have any questions about our disaster response, contact us at (888)-813-PURE or e-mail us at claims@purehnw.com.

Send Comments