ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 31, 2012 – Although hurricane season officially starts tomorrow, named storms got an early start this year and have been whirling around the Atlantic Ocean for days keeping meteorologists busy and independent insurance agents nervous as Congress goes down to the wire in extending the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
The NFIP, which is set to expire at midnight, is an essential public-private partnership that protects 5.7 million consumers and 22,000 participating communities from the dangers of flooding. President Obama is expected to sign a 60-day extension into law today.
According to a 2010 survey by Trusted Choice
® and the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers (the Big “I” or IIABA), many Americans are unprepared for a disaster. More than half of respondents (51%) admitted they are only somewhat prepared, and more than a fifth of households (22.7%) reported that they were not prepared at all. Almost 36% said they don’t have or don’t know if they even have adequate insurance coverage to help them through a disaster.
Trusted Choice
® independent insurance agents can address these issues and more as extreme weather bears down on much of the country and can also offer disaster-specific readiness and recovery tips for consumers. Trusted Choice
® experts can help:
- Sort through coverage confusion when severe weather damages or destroys residential or business property
- Advise how business interruption coverage is impacted by hurricanes and other disasters
- Explain hurricane safety and flood readiness tips, including home and business inventory prep and utilities check-listing
- Supply information on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
- Detail safe evacuation procedures
- Discuss how to recover from storm and flood losses, whether or not the property is insured
- Provide suggestions on emergency repairs and rebuilding
- Offer tips for “drying out” safely and replacing belongings
Click
HERE to read more about the disaster preparedness survey. For more specific disaster readiness and recovery tips, click on the corresponding headline.
To interview a national spokesperson or a local Trusted Choice
® insurance agent, contact Sue Nester (
susan.nester@iiaba.net) Big “I” broadcast media director at (703) 706-5448. Print journalists should contact Margarita Tapia (
margarita.tapia@iiaba.net) Big “I” director of public affairs at (703) 706-5473.
Founded in 1896, the Big “I” is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of more than 300,000 agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance—property, casualty, life, health, employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com. ###