With a certain sigh of relief I watched the storm miss the majority of Texas. One company I represent informed me that it only received about 26 reported claims so far from the Texas Rio Grande Valley. That is very fortunate news.
I am sure that the news is not so good for those in Mexico where wind and flood damage is probably extensive. It strikes me curious that the Weather Channel and none of the other major networks bothered to go south of the border to report on the actual storm effects near its center. Do they not have passports?
All insurance writing is suspended until about 24 hours after the storm has made landfall. We will be cranking back up and transacting business as normal starting tomorrow.
On another note the US Senate has approved the extension on the funding of the Flood Insurance program until September 30, 2010. So for a while, again, we can write this coverage. I would hope that more people are considering the possibility that a flood could happen at their home and even a few inches of water in their house can be devastating. As always, we encourage taking out a flood policy - even when you're not in a high risk 'special hazard' area. Over one quarter of all claims occur in these areas. Take care and stay dry.
