Lessons Learned: Power Outage Gives Preview of Next Emergency

On September 8th, 2011, a large scale power outage cascaded from Arizona into much of Southern California, and even into parts of Mexico, and New Mexico.

Safety Kit for Emergencies 

For me, it lasted about 6 hours, for others in stretched into the next day.

Warnings of contaminated water in some parts.  Warning of power surges when everything comes back on line.  Warnings of food poisoning.  In the end, for most it was an inconvenience and an even slower commute on the way home.

Judging by the long line outside the supermarket down the street from my house, I'm guess most weren't prepared though, or at least they assumed much worse.

Phone Numbers You Should Store In Your Cell Phones for Emergencies

In times of emergencies you may not remember all the important phone numbers you need, or might not be capable to dial them yourself.

Take a few minutes now to program those numbers into your cell phone.

With the invention of cell phones it seems people are less likely to memorize phone numbers than before.  In a panic situation, you don't want to have to start searching for those numbers.


# 1 -  Add ICE  (In Case of Emergencies) numbers.  If you're in the ER after a car accident, who are the 2 or 3 people you would want the nurse to call first to notify ASAP?

Farmers Insurance Disaster Response Vehicles

Have those people as a regular entry by their name, but also as second entry such as  ICE 1, ICE 2, and ICE 3.  (Example:  "ICE 2   Mom")


# 2 -  Your auto insurance company's claims number.  If you get into an accident on the weekend, you don't want to have to try to track down your agent who's out of the office.  Program the direct claims number into your cell phone.  You should be able to find it on your most recent bill, on the Evidence of Insurance which should be in your glove box, or online.


FYI:  Farmers Insurance Claims Number:  1-800-Help Point or  1-800-435-7764


# 3 -  Poison Control for your area...especially if you have children.  Click HERE for our "Poison Control: Pills vs. Candy" blog article.


FYI: California Poison Control -  1-800-222-1222


# 4 -  Your children's Pediatrician's Office for when those questions come up, or your child is in need away from home.

# 5 -  Your local Pet Emergency room.  Has your pet ever gotten injured, swallowed something, or got that pesky burr in their ear on a holiday or weekend?  Their regular vet probably isn't available.  Have a back up number handy.


# 6 -  The number of your local police when 911 isn't necessary but you need to contact them for an non-emergency.

American Red Cross: Workplace Disaster Preparedness Lunch & Learn

Like so many of you, when the "Big" Power Outage of 2011 occurred I was at work.  Luckily, the power was back on by the next day for everyone.  For most it was only an inconvenience getting home and a great story the next day.

But, what if the power outage had been the result of a sizable earthquake?  Many of us would have been stuck at work (3:30pm), and faced an even longer commute back home than what we faced that time.  Others might be stuck at work.

What if the freeways were closed down?  We've seen that happen in the past in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.  

On Thursday, September 29th, 2011, the American Red Cross office in San Diego is hosting a "Lunch and Learn".

"We will provide you information on how to prepare your workplace for emergencies, what to do during a disaster, and how to ensure business continuity." 

Consider sending someone in your office to make sure you're all prepared, and if not, what needs to be done.

RSVP to Wilma Llano at:

(858) 309-1435,

or e-mail: wilma.llano@sdarc.org

Red Cross Headquarters (Kearny Mesa)

3950 Calle Fortunada

San Diego, Ca  92123

You bring your lunch and they'll provide snacks, drinks, and education.

Click HERE for their Website and printable materials to deal with various emergencies:

Wildfires

Fire Prevention

Power Outages

Earthquakes

Heat Waves

Pets & Disaster Safety

& many more.

See you there!

Tragic Last Words: "It's Paid For, I Don't Need Insurance"

"I don't need insurance, it's not worth much."

"Can I drop my insurance?  I paid the loan off."

"It's paid for, why would I insure it?"

In my career I've heard a few statements like these.

The answer is simple. If it was lost, stolen, or destroyed in a disaster like a wildfire or earthquake, could you afford to replace it out-of-pocket?

Whether it's paid for, or you owe on it outright, it's going to be costly to replace if it disappears.  

Regardless your economic level, your cars, your home, you business, all make up a large part of your assets.  Loss of them hurts financially, and emotionally.  The financing situation is irrelevant in the end. 

No one likes paying for insurance, until they have to make a claim.  Then it seems cheap in comparison.

Recently one of those random fires we're used to in Southern California started.  We usually identify them by which freeway it's closest to. We're a car culture so freeway closures are big. This one started off the 15 Freeway.

A man buys a ranch (and about 100 livestock) to be his retirement home and source of retirement income. It's paid for so it should be a great source of security and income the rest of his life.  

Then one hot (and probably windy) day a fire starts, the area's evacuated, and by the time he's allowed back in, it's all gone.   The ranch.  Most of the livestock.

Farmers Insurance: New Reality TV Star?

Weathering Disaster: Weather Channel Series To Profile Farmers Catastrophe Response

OK, maybe we won't be the next Kardashians or even the next "Pawn Stars", but the new series will definitely be entertaining and educational.  Using the drama of real life, viewers will learn how to be better prepared if a natural disaster strikes their hometown, and be assured that if it does, there will be someone there to help with the recover.

We all know that when natural disasters strike, no one in the industry responds as well as Farmers. An upcoming six-episode series on The Weather Channel will focus on Farmers’ catastrophe buses, as well as our responses to tornadoes, firestorms and hurricanes.


Click HERE for some trailers of the series. 

The series, Weathering Disaster, will focus on individual families affected by disasters, and show how Farmers helps them through the rebuilding process.

What’s more, numerous Farmers agents and claims team members were filmed as they helped customers through the recovery process. “One of our goals in partnering with The Weather Channel on this series was to showcase the real-life heroic efforts of the Farmers agents and catastrophe response employees who help our customers through the recovery process,” says Kristina Ferrin, advertising manager. 

“The Weather Channel is a perfect fit for Farmers, and, in addition to our original programs, we will also have various promotional elements and an advertising presence on The Weather Channel’s online and mobile sites.” Additional promotional components include a Weathering Disaster web page where visitors can view the episodes after they air, as well as "promercials" and vignettes shown on the channel.

The shows will air repeatedly throughout late September and October, with initial airings of each on Saturdays from September 17-October 22. Check your local listings for air times in your area.

Lessons From Hurricane Irene: What to Expect in the Future

Hurricane Irene (2011): evacuations precede landfall

While hurricanes give more of a warning before they strike than the wildfires and earthquakes we face here in California, there are still lessons for those not involved to learn.

How will your insurance company react the "next time"? How quickly will they respond? What services will they provide those in need?

Suddenly price is secondary to customer and claims service.

Wildfires in Northern Los Angeles County force evacuations.

Watching insurers prepare before Hurricane Irene will tell you what they will do post flood, fire, or earthquake.  The same claims teams and emergency response vehicles being readied now will arrive after future natural disasters.

Read the article below.

Here are some of our past disaster preparedness and safety blogs.  Please take time to read them and make some preparation. Your health and safety are our primary concern.

Maintain a defensible zone around your home 

Pet micro-chipping before disasters occur

Insurance Company Emergency Response Vehicles

Should I get Earthquake Insurance?

A look back at the Wildfires of 2007

The Tornadoes of 2011

The March of Dimes & Farmers Insurance unite in wake of the Alabama Tornadoes

Getting Ready for claims after accidents and disasters

Disaster Preparedness: Resources and Websites

Preparing for disasters when space and money is limited (includes Red Cross info)

Farmers Insurance claims #: 1 - 800 - Help Point


Excerpts from the InsuranceJournal.com


Insurance Industry Mobilizes for Hurricane Irene Claims

Farmers Insurance Customer Care Vehicle

In addition to advising their policyholders on what to do to protect against Hurricane Irene, property/casualty insurers and brokers are themselves taking precautions—and positioning their claims teams for the aftermath.

Most are publicizing their toll-free claims numbers and online sites for claims, while also making sure their claims people, mobile units and key systems are where they need to be and ready to go once the storm passes.

Some are using automatic call systems to alert policyholders about steps to take to reduce damage, while others are gassing up their mobile vehicles and activating their complex claims teams.

While a few insurers and brokers said they were just too busy to respond to questions about their preparations, Insurance Journal was able to find out what some in the industry are doing to deal with Irene.

The article continues...

Farmers

Farmers Insurance Group— whose subsidiaries include Foremost Insurance, Bristol West and 21st Century Insurance —has mobile catastrophe claims buses that are 46 feet long and are equipped with state-of-the art satellite communications equipment; seven claims stations; water, supplies; laptop and telephone capability for use by its customers and public; and a built in grill to serve meals to Farmers’ customers and others in need.

“We will strategically position claims adjusters and Farmers mobile catastrophe units near where the hurricane makes landfall,” said Paul Quinn, assistant vice president of claims communications for Farmers Insurance.

Farmers Insurance setting up at QualComm Stadium after
the wildfires of 2007

The company also has smaller claims vehicles ready to assist with claims and supply needs of customers and others in need.

The article concludes...

Reporting

Meteorological service firm AnythingWeather Communications Inc. provides customizable reports on the effects of hail, wind and flood events for roofing companies, building suppliers, insurance companies, public adjustors and other industries. It is already busy collecting storm data.

“Our clients demand data quickly so we have a team of 15 people on staff gathering data including four meteorologists analyzing the storm. The claims firms depend on us for data,” said Bill Combes, operations vice president for the firm, which has offices in California and Texas.

Also one of the industry’s key media centers, the Insurance Information Institute, based in New York, is making its team of experts available to journalists all weekend from their homes in Manhattan, Miami, Atlanta, Tampa, New Jersey, even Long Island.

end of article


* The content of this blog is for informative purposes only. It does not reflect official standing of any agent, agency, or company mentioned on the blog. Nor is this blog necessarilly an endorsement. Please consult with your insurance, tax, or legal specialist before making any decisions. This blog is purely meant to spark the thought process.

Disaster Preparedness When Space And Money Is Limited

I came across this article, and while some of it might seem extreme (with a little of humor thrown in), take a few points from the article and get better prepared for when that next emergency hits.  Don't let the lack of space in your apartment or condo keep you from getting ready.

Survive a Disaster -- in your Condo

by Donna Freedman, MSN Money

The great blizzard of 2011 closed highways, collapsed roofs and knocked out power to two-thirds of the country last February. Wonder how many people wound up fumbling for flashlight batteries and dining on dry cornflakes?

Object lesson: You need to be ready. If a natural disaster or even just a really big windstorm happened, how would you eat, drink and stay warm? And where would you go to the bathroom?

"It's just common sense to have something set aside for when you need it," says Bernie Carr, the author of "The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster."

Maybe the word "prepper" conjures up images of camo-clad guys waiting out Armageddon in rural bunkers, surrounded by ammunition and MREs. Certainly, some prepper sites toss around acronyms like BOBs ("bug-out bags") and TEOTWAWKI ("the end of the world as we know it"), and emphasize survival skills and marksmanship.

But not everyone who preps is hard-core or imagines the collapse of society -- or even lives in the country. About 60% of the visitors to Carr's website, The Apartment Prepper's Blog, live in cities or suburbs. Carr lives in Houston.

Robert Richardson, who blogs at Off-Grid Survival, says the majority of his readers are city or suburban residents, worried more about inflation than the doomsday predictions for December 2012.

"It doesn't have to be an end-of-the-world scenario. I'm talking to people who are prepping for things like job loss," says Richardson.

Preparedness isn't paranoid -- it's prudent. Just ask Uncle Sam: The Department of Homeland Security recommends having enough supplies to survive for at least three days after an emergency. And right now, while there isn't an emergency, is the time to get those supplies.

The list might seem daunting if you're living in a tight space on a tight budget. Chin up: You probably already have some of those items, and you can use frugal hacks to get the rest cheaply or maybe even for free. Here's how.

Easy does it

The American Red Cross has an even longer list of suggested emergency items. Because every family (and every disaster) is different, however, pick what works for you. You don't have to get it all at once.

Click here for the rest of the article.

The Red Cross sells ready made Emergency Kits of different sizes (and supplies) if you don't want to build your own.

Other Disaster related blogs I've written:

Maintain a defensible zone around your home 

Pet micro-chipping before disasters occur

Insurance Company Emergency Response Vehicles

Should I get Earthquake Insurance?

A look back at the Wildfires of 2007

Disaster Preparedness: Resources

* The content of this blog is for informative purposes only. It does not reflect official standing of any agent, agency, or company mentioned on the blog. Nor is this blog necessarilly an endorsement. Please consult with your insurance, tax, or legal specialist before making any decisions. This blog is purely meant to spark the thought process.