Raleigh – the N.C. Department of Insurance is gearing up for a big week after Hurricane Florence makes landfall. The state’s Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey is working with other state leaders to get the information out and assistance ready to activate.
“I talked with the speaker of the House last night; we have a meeting this morning with the governor and the Council of State to discuss the preparations,” said Causey. “This has the potential of being the biggest hurricane since Hazel — I hope they’re wrong — but we have personnel on active duty right now 24/7, deployed all over the state.”
The DOI has set up ncHurriclaims.com to expedite recovery, but Causey also says that keeping insurance papers in order will help speed the process.
“I would recommend that everyone get their insurance policies, homeowners and other types of policies together and put them in a safe, waterproof box,” said Causey. “You’re going to need those numbers for any claims. Also, document the items in your home; just take a cell phone and video around your rooms. If you have any items with serial numbers, like firearms, it’s a good idea to have a list of those serial numbers.”
The DOI recommends that N.C. residents make sure that battery-operated carbon monoxide and fire detectors are working properly and that any generators have been maintained and are only used outdoors.
Poisonous carbon monoxide from portable generators can kill in minutes. CO is an invisible killer; it’s colorless and odorless. More than 400 people die each year in the United States from CO poisoning, about 70 of those are related to portable generators.
