State Farm says it has received more than 90,000 claims from Superstorm Sandy thus far, and the company took to the sky to get policyholders to report more.
In an effort to reach its customers in areas without power or cellphone service, State Farm hired planes and attached banners to them with the company's claims number. One plane covered Staten Island, Long Island, Metro New York City coastal areas and five to 10 miles inland from the coast—as well as up and down the Hudson River, says company spokeswoman Holly Anderson. A second plane flew over the coast of New Jersey and five to 10 miles inland from the coast—"everything Ocean City and north, including Hoboken.
"We're exhausting every avenue to help our customers recover from this devastating storm," adds Anderson. State Farm, the top writer of Homeowners' insurance in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, had received some 76,152 Homeowners' claims and 13,958 Auto claims as of Nov. 7.
This is the first time State Farm has used this method after a storm on the East Coast, Anderson notes.
Ironically, the sound of these planes is familiar to anyone who has ever enjoyed the New Jersey shore—the area where Sandy made landfall, wreaked havoc on shorefront communities and made splinters out of boardwalks. During the summer, such banner planes fly up and down the New Jersey coastline throughout the day, tugging signs advertising everything from events at local clubs to cosmetic surgery and attorney services.
Nationwide, another carrier with significant market share in the areas pummeled by Sandy, has received more than 29,500 claims as of Nov. 7—with more than 7,200 coming from New York and about 7,400 from Pennsylvania.
"We're addressing our hardest-hit policyholders first," says spokeswoman Elizabeth Stelzer. "Those homes with a tree through a wall, an exposed roof or other claims in which the home has become uninhabitable are the priority. Claims associates are also focusing efforts in those communities with the greatest concentration of property damage."
As many insurers do, Nationwide encourages homeowners to make inventory lists and make temporary repairs, if it is safe to do so, to prevent more damage.
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