Liberty Mutual customers have recovery and insurance claims assistance available, with two mobile catastrophe response units in San Diego and more than 75 claims adjusters and managers onsite throughout Southern California. Another 40 dedicated wildfire claims adjusters are a phone call away at 1-800-2CLAIMS (1-800-225-2467).

The Liberty Mutual mobile catastrophe claims units are processing claims and immediate insurance payments from two San Diego locations: the Rancho Bernardo Community Center, 18448 West Bernardo Drive; and at the Liberty Mutual sales office, 9444 Waples Street, Suite 150 (I-805, Mira Mesa Boulevard exit). A catastrophe claims team also is located at Liberty Mutual's Carmel Mountain Ranch office at 13520 Evening Creek Drive North (I-15 Exit 19, off Sabre Springs Parkway).

Liberty Mutual even has dedicated some claims representatives to solely help customers overcome the emotional trauma of losing their entire home in a fire. "Unlike most of our customers, we've been through this before," said White. "We know the emotional recovery precedes the financial recovery for most people who have lost everything, so hopefully we can add any extra support that will help them through this horrific ordeal."

source Liberty Mutual Press Release

Encompass Insurance has mobilized its National Catastrophe Team (NCT) to assist customers impacted by the wildfires in Southern California.

Property adjusters have been in the area since Monday, contacting independent agents and customers impacted by the wildfires to assist them with immediate needs. Property adjusters will begin inspecting losses as soon as they are allowed to enter impacted areas. Auto claims are being handled by local claim offices.

From this pr-inside.com article >> http://www.pr-inside.com/encompass-insurance-mobilizes-catastrophe-team-r267228.htm

Farmers Mobile Catastrophe Claims Center Bus is currently stationed at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

The Farmers Mobile Catastrophe Claims Center Bus is a rolling customer support center equipped with top-of-the-line technology for immediate claims handling and outfitted with comforts of home such as a grill for on-the-spot meals. Farmers customers can stop by the Mobile Catastrophe Claims Bus anytime. Reporters are welcome to tour the bus as well.

Other locations of Farmers mobile claims centers include:

• NOS Events Center, 689 South E Street ,San Bernadino, CA

• Chula Vista High School, Chula Vista, CA

Farmers has more than 400 claims adjusters in Southern California to assist victims of the fires. Farmers advises its customers affected by any of the wildfires from San Diego to Los Angeles and anywhere else these fire spread, to immediately contact Farmers’ 24 hour claims hotline, 800-HelpPoint (1-800-435-7764) for immediate assistance.

From this article >> http://www.losangeleschronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=41305

USAA, which insures 140,000 homes in San Diego County, was one of many companies that had catastrophe-response teams on the ground by Monday. But it was late Thursday afternoon before the carriers were allowed into areas with major destruction.

“The first few days, my job is more helping people emotionally,” Brindley said. “There's a lot of crying. I assure them that's OK, that's what everyone does. They're upset because they've seen their whole life go up in flames.”

Brindley, who lives in Sacramento, has been an adjuster for 24 years and has responded to natural disasters including the Northridge earthquake and Hurricane Katrina. He said he'll probably spend the next three months living in a San Diego hotel and working out of his car as he helps “make people whole again.”

Before visiting the house, Brindley met with the Blooms for six hours Thursday, talking about the home's construction and re-creating it room-by-room on a chart.

From a http://www.signonsandiego.com/ article, click here to read the article.

 The labor law appears to require that overtime pay be paid to insurance claims adjusters. Adjusters use to be listed as exempt employees however, it looks on 8/16/2007 the Appellate Court changed adjusters to a production class which would make the non-exempt.  read more

In a 10/11 press release ISO’s PCS Unit estimated that Insurers will pay nearly $1.13 billion in Third-Quarter Cat Losses.  This gives us approximately $4.1 billion so far this year in insured property damage resulting from an estimated 997,000 claims nationwide.  The chart below shows the total insured property losses per year since 1997.  The total for 2007 is estimated.

Hundreds of Westsiders have filed insurance claims for damage done to homes and cars in a Friday night storm that produced hail, as large as golf balls in some areas, and 65 mph winds.

State Farm Insurance, with a third of El Paso's insurance business, received 300 claims for damaged vehicles and 230 claims for damaged roofs and other home property in El Paso by late Monday morning, reported Leslie Leal, an Austin-based spokeswoman. It brought in a catastrophe team to process claims, Leal said. No dollar estimates from the damage were available.

Progressive Insurance also brought in a catastrophe team to process claims for vehicle damage, said Curtis Grube, Progressive catastrophe team leader. Progressive officials won't say how many claims have been filed in El Paso, but Grube said claim "reporting is not as brisk" as for the hailstorm which hit the East Side in May.

Click here to read the full article from the El Paso Times 

Just over 100 days since floods first hit parts of north and east England – including Hull, Sheffield and Doncaster – over one in five of the 130,000 claims made have been settled. 
...

"Since the flooding in Hull, Sheffield, Doncaster and surrounding areas 101 days ago, insurers have been dealing with over 130,000 claims for homes, businesses and motor vehicles," said Stephen Haddrill, director general of the ABI.

"The cost of claims from flooding in June and July is expected to exceed £3bn.

"Ministers appreciated the enormous contribution of Britain's insurance industry in dealing with the trauma and loss caused by these floods.

Click here to read the aboutproperty.co.uk article

"An expert witness who testified for policyholders suing State Farm over Hurricane Katrina damage told a Circuit Court jury Wednesday that wind caused damage the insurance company's adjuster attributed to tidal surge, which is excluded from coverage.

But the witness, Slidell engineer and architect Neil Hall, also conceded under cross-examination that he had not gone inside the rental house or climbed onto the roof, as the State Farm adjuster had done. Hall also said he mixed up a critical measurement, putting the floor level of the home at 12 feet above ground instead of the accurate 8 feet.

Hall testified that only 5 feet of water got into the living area; the insurance adjuster put the water's height at 9 feet based on his visual inspection- a level backed by scientific data Hall collected. However, Hall said photographs of the ceiling showed portions had collapsed while others did not, indicating damage from wind-driven rain.

Also, if floodwater had damaged the ceiling, Hall said, the whole thing rather than portions would have collapsed and the popcorn finish would have shown evidence of water damage."

The above comes a SunHerald.com article written by Anita Lee click here to read the article