A powerful disaster recovery model: Insurance Support Groups
Helping wildfire survivors form support groups by insurance company has been part of the United Policyholders’ menu of services since our beginning. We’ve seen time and again how communicating with others who are navigating similar policy language, company rules, and adjuster personalities helps people overcome claim delays and problems.
In the early months after a disaster, we routinely post laminated signs at our Roadmap to Recovery workshops to help people find and form groups with others insured with their same company. Resource-permitting, we help groups set up ways to communicate and put leaders in place. We are so proud to see the insurance groups model working in the aftermath of the 2017 North Bay, CA wildfires, and grateful to the groups for opening up their listserves to households impacted by the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, CA.
Disaster victims who participate in insurance groups give each other emotional support and practical tips for resolving conflicts with claim adjusters, overcoming unreasonable decisions by insurers, and making the best use of all the information and strategies we make available to them through our Roadmap to Recovery program. A special shout-out to Vita Iskandar whose dedication to helping others while navigating her own wildfire loss recovery has helped so many, and been invaluable to our organization and her community.
Vita Iskandar has given hundreds of hours helping her fellow Tubbs wildfire survivors connect with each other and access UP’s guidance. For more info see: https://www.kqed.org/news/11697470/santa-rosa-fire-recovery-is-far-from-over-but-victims-lend-a-hand-to-new-fire-survivors