Agents Offer Help To Other Agents In Hurricane Aftermath

Agency management system vendor Applied Systems Inc. reported today that independent insurance agents across the United States are offering office space, phone hook-ups, workstations and living quarters to aid hurricane-disabled agencies scrambling to assist their insureds along the devastated Gulf Coast.

Following the lead of the Zutz Group--an independent insurance agency in Wilmington, Del.--dozens of independent agencies have called on University Park, Ill.-based Applied Systems to communicate their readiness to assist colleagues. Using its Web site to post the information, the company said it is continually updating the list of agencies, resources they have to offer and contact information. The list is available at http://www.appliedsystems.com/Katrina.aspx.

Offers of assistance go beyond office equipment and Internet hook-ups, said Applied. Among the resources listed: trailers for housing and office setup; staff assistance in filing claims and executing necessary tasks; temporary residences; offers of employment assistance for displaced family and friends; and even the services of an agent willing to pilot his helicopter into the area to assist with transportation and supply delivery.

"We are a family-owned business, and we take care of each other here," said Scott Selby, IT administrator at the Zutz Group. "We want to extend that care to anyone in need. It's the least we can do. I know we are far away [from the area], but we want to offer everything we can, and we have many volunteers who will gladly do whatever they can to help."

As soon as the Zutz Group's offer appeared on the Applied Systems Web site, Applied said it began receiving similar offers of assistance from other agencies that use the company's agency management technology. In addition, Applied Systems is working with agencies to begin operating temporarily with TAMOnline or VisionOnline, the company's Internet-based agency management systems.

"The response from our customers has been tremendous," said Mike Hernandez, Applied Systems director of marketing. "All of us at Applied Systems are deeply touched by the generosity of these agencies and their spirit of pulling together to help one another. This is not just an insurance industry issue, and our customers realize that as the agents in the affected areas are trying to do their jobs, they are also coping with their own personal losses."