NU Online News Service, April 28, 12:14 p.m. EST
I
nsurers on Thursday were in meetings and traveling to areas hardest hit by another outbreak of tornadoes in the south that took property and life.
"We were just waiting for the light of day to get out there and start, and [to] hear from our customers," says State Farm spokesman David Majors. "We got hit twice yesterday. The damage is everywhere."
Claims have already begun to steadily roll in from states affected by more than 100 reports of tornadoes that caused nearly 200 deaths in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia.
Just within the last 24 hours, State Farm has received 3,300 homeowners and auto claims from Alabama, more than 800 from Mississippi and more than 400 from Georgia, says Majors, who adds that he just returned from Clinton, Miss., which was affected by a tornadoes earlier this month that struck from Oklahoma to North Carolina.
This morning Majors says he and others were headed to the destruction in Alabama.
A person at Montgomery, Ala.-based Alfa Insurance says executives, claims, and communications staff were in meetings to discuss the best course of action. She adds that although Montgomery was relatively untouched, company employees this morning discussed the safety of their children in Tuscaloosa, one of the hardest-hit areas and home to the University of Alabama.
USAA spokeswoman Rebecca Hirsch says early Thursday that the insurer of military personnel and their families is driving its catastrophe response vehicle—an RV named "Eagle One"—to Alabama from Fayetteville, N.C.
Alabama Insurance Commissioner Jim Ridling says his office has reached out to the state's leading property insurers to provide a coordinated response to the storms.
"We want to hit the ground running to deliver an effective response to all Alabamians affected by these tragic storms," Ridling says in a statement.
President Barack Obama signed an emergency declaration for Alabama, which allows the federal government to coordinate and participate in relief efforts. In a statement Obama says he spoke to Gov. Robert Bentley and offered federal assistance, including search and rescue.
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