Fla. Agents Send Response Vehicle to Tornado-ravaged Kan. Town

The Florida Association of Insurance Agents’ state-of-the-art catastrophe response vehicle (CRV) arrived in Greensburg, Kan. earlier this week to assist insurance agents whose offices were demolished by the tornado last week. The fully equipped mobile response unit will provide the agents with immediate access to
customer records and policies so they can facilitate the claims process.
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“After the devastation the people of Greensburg have faced, we felt it
was our duty to offer them this resource,” said FAIA President and CEO Jeff Grady.”The CRV will supply the agents who lost their businesses with the supplies and communications tools they need to aid their customers in the recovery process.”

Both FAIA and the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America reached out to their counterpart in Kansas to offer help after the tornado, the most powerful to hit the United States in the last eight years, claimed twelve lives and destroyed the small Kansas town.

“We are truly grateful to the agents in Florida for lending us this
wonderful resource,” said Larry Magill, executive vice president for
the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents. “I casually remarked about the usefulness of Florida¹s CRV and less than a day later, agents were driving to drop off the vehicle in Greensburg.”
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The fully renovated mobile response unit, outfitted with the latest
satellite and computer technology, allows agents to access customer
records and policies, assess damages, and file claims. Also included
on-board is a Direct TV satellite, Global Positioning System,
satellite phone capability, XM satellite radio, wireless Internet access, a generator, laptops and printers. In addition, the vehicle is stocked with storm victim supplies, basic office recovery items and other useful disaster response resources.

Without the use of this vehicle, it would be close to impossible for
us to assist our customers in filing claims,” said Linda Crowe of
People¹s Insurance, one of the agents staffing the vehicle. “Our
offices, like every other building in this town, were obliterated.
During such a trying time, it¹s comforting to know that we have a
lifeline in another state.”
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Crowe, along with Chris Ballard of Corns & Ballard Agency, will be
operating out of the unit for the next few weeks, which is positioned
in the heart of the newly desolate town. Amidst the rubble and a few
remaining walls, the CRV is one of the only vehicles on what was once main street.

“In a matter of minutes, this tornado disrupted and changed these
residents lives forever,” said Magill. “But the people of this town
are resilient and are already starting to rebuild. With resources like
the CRV and the outpouring of support, it is a much swifter and more
manageable process.”
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Source: FAIA