ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.—Agents are among the first to reach out to their clients after catastrophe strikes, but a veteran of Hurricane Katrina says with all the stress surrounding these events, agents need to realize the importance of not neglecting themselves.

Richard A. Clements, the principal of Clements Insurance Services in Chalmette, La., says he received a call one day from an insurance company vice president telling him, “Hey, look stupid, you have to take care of yourself; this is more than just about your policyholders. This is about you too. Every day you have to get yourself a little bit of exercise; you got to get to sleep and you have to take time just for yourself. Don't wear yourself out, because you are going to.” He adds, “Boy, you don't know how those words rang true.”

Clements observation was one of five stories heard during a panel discussion “Super Lessons Learned from a Superstorm” held here during the joint annual conference of the Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey and New York on Sunday.

Relating his experience with Katrina in 2005, which displaced his agency from its office in the New Orleans area for eight months, Clements warns that when there is a mega-event one better have a mega-plan, but don't be surprised if it does not work because the unforeseen happens.

“Be patient; be patient; be patient,” he says, emphasizing there will be stress, and one needs to accept it and work through it. For help, agents will find the places to turn will be company representatives and agent associations who have no shortage of desire to help. However, at some point, he told attendees, people who have not lived through these events reach “Sandy fatigue” and do not want to hear about it anymore. That does not mean those who went through it should forget it; they never will.

For Lloyd H. Bush, an agent with Keer & Heyer Insurance Agency in Pt. Pleasant Beach, N.J., says the raised Amtrak railroad bed stopped Sandy's storm surge from destroying the agency sitting a short distance from the shore. Despite the loss of power, internet access, and difficulty with phone service, his agency went to work filing claims within days.

One major challenge for any agent is dealing with the impact of the catastrophe on their own home and family while assisting clients. For him, that meant lighting a fire each morning and night in the house so his family could have some heat. Today, he says, his home still sits gutted awaiting repair.

Justin Fries, chief operating officer and vice president at Garber Atlas Fries & Associates in Oceanside, N.Y., told his story of his agency of the flood to his agency and the destruction of his computer servers. He thought the office was far enough inland that it would suffer possibly minor damage. Sandy closed his office for almost four months. He says a major lesson for his firm was the need for vendors to provide back-up services far from the office. The vendor providing back-up data service was unable to because they were in the New York area and the storm knocked out their ability to deliver services. He says his firm is seeking providers out in the Western states.

At the company level, Lisa Tepper, regional vice president for Travelers, says the claims section needs to lead the way after a catastrophe. The company cannot turn to producing business in stricken areas so soon after the event. The focus needs to remain on claims, and managers need to work with one another and understand the challenges customers and employees face in regions struck by catastrophe.

Ed Fernandez, president of the independent agent division of Plymouth Rock, a northeast regional insurer, says it worked claims triage, telling customers with a food spoilage claim—for example—that it would be 30 days before an adjuster could get out to them. Service representatives explained that more urgent claims—such as a tree through a homeowner's roof—that were taking priority. He says most customers accepted the triage approach, as Plymouth Rock took the initiative to contact them “and set expectations.”

Special Reports /

Agent Lesson During Catastrophes: Take Care of Yourself

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