Storm Bella

Storm Bella wreaked havoc across much of the UK with high winds and widespread flooding. In many coastal areas, communities were forced to erect flood defences to counter the impact of waves whipped up by gusts that reached 100mph. About 25mm of rain fell on Sunday in parts of the south-west England and Wales, with up to 60mm on high ground.

At Crawford, we have been monitoring the situation closely and have been responding to claims throughout the holiday period. We have seen a moderate increase in claim volume due to Storm Bella with the majority of claims in South Wales, the Midlands and East Anglia.

Storm Bella has seen our out-of-hours team and on-call adjusters work 24/7 throughout the festive period to provide assistance to people affected by the weather.

Field visits are often an essential part of the claims management process but, in the current environment, we are fully focused on taking all necessary steps to minimise potential exposure to COVID-19 and we are strictly adhering to tier guidelines. Given the current restrictions, we are utilising our video collaboration tools and self-service app to assist homeowners and businesses immediately. We are undertaking visits only once a detailed risk assessment has been completed and where it is deemed essential.

We also have contractors from our managed repair service, Contractor Connection, on standby to provide emergency repairs, drying out and clean-up services.

When the worst happens, Crawford is always there with the right team, the right technology and the right processes to help policyholders restore and rebuild.