Disaster Recovery Guidelines

Report your claim

• You can either contact the Alliant Claims Advocacy team or your insurance carrier directly. Phone numbers for both Alliant and insurance carriers are listed on this site.

Mitigate your damages

Most property insurance policies require the insured to mitigate damages whenever possible. Damage mitigation can include:

• Protecting property from further damage
• Working to restore business operations, even if at the most basic level
• Securing the services of an emergency restoration contractor as quickly as possible (if the property can be restored). Alliant has relationships with the restoration contractors listed below. If you utilize the services of either of these vendors, let them know you are a client of Alliant.

Review insurance policies with your broker or account executive

Your Alliant broker or account executive will review your insurance policies with you to ensure you understand all details of the potential coverage available to you.

Contact your insurance carrier

Clear, concise communication of your needs to the adjuster is critical. In these major disaster situations it can be difficult to reach your adjuster quickly, so it is important to maximize your time with the adjuster and do your best to convey the top needs of your organization.

Document your conversations with the adjuster, which will be helpful if any questions or disputes arise later in the adjustment process. In these large loss situations, information can easily get lost in the shuffle, so it is critical that you maintain your claim in good order.

Next Steps

Document your insurance claim

Thoroughly document your damages by:

• Photographing the damaged property.
• Videotaping the damaged property.
• Developing a list of damages and corresponding values.
• Setting up an accounting code to properly code all loss-related costs, regardless of size. Keep copies of all incurred costs.
• Tracking all business interruption-related losses.
• Recording all extra expenses incurred to reopen and maintain your business.
• Documenting any overtime labor for staff. Remember that salaried employees are generally not included but regardless of the position involved, submit the costs.

Meet with your adjuster

Arrange for your insurance adjuster to inspect your damaged property as soon as possible, and be sure to point out all related damages. If you have already cleaned up areas of your property prior to the adjuster’s arrival, show the adjuster what was done. Again, photographic or videotape evidence is always a helpful and powerful tool in presenting your damages.

Determine if an advance claim payment request is needed

If you have sustained significant damage, a request should be made to your adjuster for an advance payment. Although insurance carriers generally require some basic claim valuation in order to make an advance payment, it is best to get the adjuster focused on your immediate financial needs to recover.

Resolve a dispute

Good minds can differ, and that applies to insurance claims. If a dispute arises regarding application of coverage or valuation of your claim, contact your Alliant representative for assistance. Alliant stands ready as your advocate to address any disputes and analyze the situation with you to determine if the carrier position is incorrect.