According to the Association of British Insurers, insurance claims related to the recent floods and storms around the UK are expected to reach up to GBP1 billion, which may rise further if more properties are affected by additional flooding.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has predicted that around 27,000 homes and 5,000 businesses have been affected by the recent floods and storms.
Insurance companies have implemented their crisis action plans and are redeploying staff from around the country, as well as bringing in additional equipment from abroad. Clean-up operations are currently underway where flood waters have receded.
However, due to the scale of the problem, the ABI has stated that the industry’s normal response times will not be possible in all cases.
Stephen Haddrill, director general of the ABI, said: Insurers are working as hard as possible to reach customers and to visit properties early. But these events are so widespread that insurers are redeploying staff to affected areas, increasing staffing levels in call centers and undertaking visits to community centers.
However, even emergency procedures cannot deliver our normal standards of service. We are doing all we can to help families, elderly customers and those with health difficulties first. We hope that other people can bear with us as we work through the backlog. We will reach everyone as soon as we can, Mr Haddrill concluded.