Safeco responds to N. California Storm

<strong>Response to Northern CA Storm</strong><br /> <br /> As a result of the storm impacting northern California on October 13-14, the National Catastrophe team is mobilizing personnel to the area. Our National Catastrophe team, which is a part of Agency Markets' Claims Shared Service organization, serves Safeco personal lines policyholders, as well as commercial lines customers of the eight Regional Companies.<br /> <br /> As the situation is ongoing, we are assessing staffing needs and will be dispatching field staff to the affected areas. Other members of the team are centrally located to manage the behind-the-scenes operations. All are committed to providing exceptional claims service and caring for our customers in times of crisis.Here are a few simple steps you can take to help us deliver the best possible service:<br /> Please encourage your customers with storm damage to report their claims to our toll-free claims hotline at (800) 332-3226. Golden Eagle Insurance customers with storm damage should report their claims on personal and commercial policies to our ANYTIMET Claims number at (800) 238-3085. Once a customer reports their claim, a member of our National Catastrophe Team will contact them within 24 - 48 hours to discuss the claim and arrange for an inspection if needed. When the volume of claims is high, our goal is to reach customers with the most severe damage first.<br /> <br /> We ask customers to make emergency repairs to prevent further damage to their property if they can. Customers are asked to be patient and save receipts. We require policyholders to wait until their claims professional has assessed damage before making permanent repairs.<br /> <br /> However, we encourage people to line up a contractor. Customers are encouraged to use a local, licensed and bonded contractor and check their local references. Rest assured that the team is prepared to handle every claim quickly and efficiently, providing our customers with the best possible service.