Department of Insurance Offers Advice for Customers

While thousands of area residents are waiting for electric companies to restore power, many also are waiting for insurance claims adjusters to inspect their damaged properties. WFPL’s Elizabeth Kramer has more.The Kentucky Department of Insurance has been working to ease the process for claims adjusters coming to work from outside the state to inspect damaged property in the region.Sharon Clark is commissioner of the department."We are monitoring the situation almost on an hour-by-hour basis," Clark says. "We are in contact with the insurance companies, making sure that they have adequate adjustors in the community. And, quite frankly, that has been a little bit of a challenge for some of the companies because they have had so many adjustors down with the Gulf Coast."Clark says customers should ask any adjuster coming to their business or residence for identification and provide them with photographs that document damages.Clark also advises customers to examine their power lines to prevent further damage."When the power lines come into the house you have the electric boxes that are on the outside and something that’s called the masthead," Clark says. "Every consumer needs to go out there and look to that to make sure that that has not suffered damage, because when the power is turned back on there can be a surge and there have been, in the past, some resulting fires."Clark says consumers who have complaints should contact the Department of Insurance.