With thousands of insurance claims being filed this week after a tornado hit parts of St. Louis on May 16, Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance Director Angela Nelson said it should be an easy process for Missouri tornado victims to file insurance claims.
Nelson told Missourinet she is aware that some people are still without power in the St. Louis area.
“And so, in some of those instances we actually have insurance companies that have setup mobile claims units in the area. And they can actually sit down with folks at these mobile claims units and walk them through the claims process, said Nelson.” We want people to know the insurance industry is there. They are on the ground, and they will be there to help them file these claims and get that process started.”
Many people are asking how long it will take for insurance claims to get paid.
Nelson said it will take some time for insurance companies to pay tornado damage claims, however some of that time is not going to be because of the insurance company and their processing.
“Insurance companies themselves don’t rebuild those properties or repair them,” she said. “They’re going to have to reach out and get contractors. And again, we’re going to have to also deal with supply issues in that area. So those are things that can make the process seem longer. A lot of folks will blame an insurance company for that, but that’s really, really not the appropriate people to blame.”
Nelson said initial claims payments should be coming fairly shortly, and the focus now is getting residents the insurance help they need as quickly as possible.
Nelson visited her home to view the damage in person. She said that videos and pictures of the damage did not quite put in perspective the extent of the aftermath.
“You actually start driving through neighborhoods and you actually see the scope of the damage,” said Nelson. “It was very, very incredible and not in a positive way obviously. There is a good mix of houses and businesses, but predominantly where I drove through was through residential neighborhoods. For me it was the shock of seeing damage to these big brick buildings.”
The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance Department has set up a special web page where people can find at insurance.mo.gov. or by calling 800-726-7390.
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