Area insurers offer post-storm assistance

Local insurance agents have been keeping busy since Tropical Storm Irene blew through the area early Sunday.

Power had gone out at State Farm agent Pete Masterson's office in Williston Park, but his staff set up a canopy outside their office Monday morning to help customers, using their smart phones to make calls and access the Internet, said Masterson's office manager, John Marsala. Masterson added that his agency had processed about 50 claims so far.

"We have five people at the tent in the office, and two of us are running around to see people," Masterson said. "We're seeing some of the more severe ones right now."

Denis Miller, president of Denis A. Miller Insurance in Long Beach, said he had filed about 100 claims for his customers. Miller said it would be a three- to five-day wait for policy holders to see claims personnel, and he advised that people have estimates on hand when meeting with adjusters.

"I had about 18 inches of water" in my house, said Jeff Peskoff, 49, of Long Beach. "Everything has been destroyed."

State officials were also on hand. The Insurance Department dispatched its Mobile Command Center to Long Beach Monday. The center is a 50-foot-long van equipped with high-speed Internet and phone service for residents without power to contact insurance companies and make claims.

Benjamin Lawsky, the state's top insurance regulator, came to the seaside city to assess the damage from Irene.

"We're surveying people about damage to homes and businesses, talking to residents," he said. "We want to make sure people know what their rights are and how to handle the insurance claim."

Lawsky said the Mobile Command Center would be stationed at Long Beach City Hall again Tuesday morning. Department personnel will be on hand to answer questions and help with claim filing, he added.

Many national insurance providers also mobilized their catastrophe response teams, sending adjusters to hard-hit areas in New York and dispatching mobile claims offices. As of noon Monday, State Farm had received 2,147 home claims and 188 car claims in New York State due to Irene's wrath, said Jeff McCollum, a spokesman for the company.

Insurance companies Allstate and Traveler's each had one mobile claim center set up in Valley Stream and Garden City, respectively, company representatives confirmed.

The mobile centers are staffed by claims representatives and adjusters who can process claims on site and can move to different locations depending on need, said Allstate spokeswoman Krista Conte, who added that a second Allstate mobile office was on its way to Long Island.

Bloomberg News reported Monday that damages from Irene could cost the insurance industry up to $2.6 billion.