Oct 10, 2018
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercury Insurance is urging Georgia residents to be ready for Hurricane Michael, which is projected to make landfall on the Florida Panhandle. The hurricane is gaining strength as it moves toward the Gulf Coast and residents should be prepared to leave quickly and follow evacuation orders. Mercury customers can report losses and damages through the claims hotline at (800) 503-3724.
"Hurricanes are extremely dangerous and Georgians should take evacuation orders seriously," says Mercury Insurance Chief Claims Officer Randy Petro. "These storms can cause severe damage, so it's extremely important for residents to be properly prepared.
"The Mercury Insurance claims team is ready to respond quickly to our customers' requests for help. Whether it's providing living expenses if they need to evacuate their home or facilitating claims, we're committed to providing Mercury policyholders with the assistance they need."
Georgians should prepare for heavy rain, wind and flooding. Disaster preparedness is essential to preventing injuries and property damage from violent and deadly storms, and Mercury Insurance is offering these evacuation tips to help prepare families for the coming hurricane.
1. Arrange your evacuation ahead of time. Plan where you will go in the event of an evacuation. Create an evacuation kit with a list of phone numbers and addresses. Your kit should include a map and a GPS—in case street signs are blown down. Remember to include family pets in your plans.
2. Plan what to take. Prepare an evacuation kit that includes essentials, such as medicines and comfort items like children's toys or books. Your kit should also include these kinds of items:
3. Gather important documents. Organize important documents in two groups: essential and basic. Original copies of essential documents should be stored offsite in a safe deposit box or password protected cloud storage account. Basic documents should be added to your evacuation kit, which should be brought with you.
Essential documents
Basic documents (add these to your evacuation kit)
4. Create a home inventory. Establish a complete home inventory of your personal property. Take video of your home to catalog all property. Well-documented home inventories can help expedite the claims process, as well as substantiate losses for income tax purposes.
5. Reinforce your home. Close shutters or use plywood to board up windows and doors. Secure outdoor furniture, potted plants and other items that could become projectiles during the storm.
6. Be aware of flood zones in your area when leaving. Hurricanes can cause high winds, flying debris and flash flooding. Get out of town and go to higher ground. Leave as soon as possible.
Here are a few more things you can do to prepare for a hurricane.
Additional hurricane preparedness resources:
NOAA National Weather Service: www.weather.gov/safety.php
American Red Cross: www.redcross.org/getprepared
Federal Emergency Management Agency: www.ready.gov
ABOUT MERCURY INSURANCE
Mercury Insurance (MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization predominantly offering personal automobile, homeowners and commercial insurance through a network of independent agents in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. Since 1962, Mercury has specialized in offering quality insurance at affordable prices. For more information visit www.mercuryinsurance.com or Facebook and follow the company on Twitter.
SOURCE Mercury Insurance
For further information: PCG - Wendi Sheridan (424) 903-3644 (wsheridan@pacificcommunicationsgroup.com)