Insurance Commissioner Walter A. Bell said Tuesday that the Alabama Department of Insurance has launched its response efforts to Hurricane Katrina.

“We will hit the ground running once FEMA opens its disaster centers,” Commissioner Bell said. “We are operating under our Disaster Response Plan. We are coordinating with the Governor's Office, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, other state and federal agencies, and the major insurers to make sure that Alabama citizens are taken care of in a prompt and fair fashion.”

Governor Bob Riley, who toured affected areas Tuesday, said steps taken by the Department of Insurance after Hurricane Ivan will help streamline operations following Katrina, noting that in July the Insurance Department launched a reorganization. In the reorganization, the Department created a consumer services division from parts of other divisions that handled consumer protection duties.

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