Property Casualty Insurers Association of America

With the one year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America is releasing its latest in a series of consumer education tools, “PCI's Quick Steps for Disaster Preparedness and Recovery,” which helps residents take action to protect their families and property as well as better understand their insurance policies.

“This interactive resource guide helps address significant information gaps regarding flood insurance and is designed to improve preparedness for future events,” says Marguerite Tortorello, PCI's senior vice president of public affairs. “While the size, scope and response to Sandy was unprecedented in the Northeast, the storm highlighted the need to provide more information to consumers about disaster preparedness and recovery. In an effort to better prepare consumers for the next natural disaster, PCI is waging a consumer education campaign to help policyholders better understand their insurance policies and take steps to be financially as well as physically prepared for natural disasters. One key to financial preparedness is understanding your insurance policy and ensuring you have the coverage in place that will protect you and your property.”

PCI's Quick Steps for Disaster Preparedness and Recovery will engage consumers with interactive tools, video, infographics and action steps to create an home inventory, a checklist for before, during and after a disaster, and access mobile apps that cover everything from helping consumers address their insurance needs to weather updates, disaster preparations and locating shelters to services that help you contact loved ones.

“While the industry is very well versed in responding to natural disasters, insurers are always working on ways to improve our communication channels,” said Tortorello. “By using the latest consumer information consumption trends, we developed this interactive guide to allows consumers and public policymakers to quickly access information that they can take action on and easily share this tool with others on social media.”

PCI has additional disaster recovery information and tools available at www.pciaa.net/hurricane

American Insurance Association

“The magnitude of the damage caused by Sandy was extraordinary, as was the collective response of the insurance industry,” says Leigh Ann Pusey, president and CEO of AIA. “Insurers prepare year-round for disasters in order to help their policyholders recover when storms hit. That legwork allowed insurers to hit the ground running soon after Sandy made landfall and help policyholders begin the recovery process.

“Since Sandy, the American Insurance Association has worked closely with policymakers and regulators to achieve better post-catastrophe regulatory certainty and performance. We believe there were many lessons learned as a result of the storm. These include the need for efficient and reasonable mediation programs, uniform data reporting, straightforward property insurance summaries, reasonable moratoria, and the continuing importance of windstorm deductibles.

“The American Insurance Association has had a continuous dialogue with government officials about improving regulations and laws so that customers, insurers and local authorities can better weather future storms. Working together, we can produce measures that make insurance easier to navigate and understand for all involved.”

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