Released: October 12, 2005

Starting Monday, October 17, insurance companies will begin working in a coordinated effort to efficiently adjust claims for St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parish properties damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

After visiting St. Bernard and Plaquemines, Commissioner of Insurance Robert Wooley realized residents were facing an insurance adjusting nightmare. "Houses are uninhabitable and neighborhoods are destroyed so these parishes have to be rebuilt," Wooley said. The Commissioner determined the best way to expedite the rebuilding process was a systematic approach to the adjusting and demolition of properties in each parish.

Working with parish officials and the insurance industry, Commissioner Wooley developed the idea of subdividing each parish into grids, or small sections containing approximately 1,000 households each. Parish officials then created their respective grid maps using a parish street map. The map for St. Bernard Parish consists of 25 grids. Plaquemines officials subdivided their parish into nine grids by using their council districts as boundaries. They also made a determination of which area was hardest hit and made Grid 1 their top priority for claims adjusting.

Wooley said grid maps for both parishes were then e-mailed to insurers doing business in Louisiana so the companies could determine which homes they insure in each grid. "That determination has been made and the companies are ready to send in teams of adjusters who will work side by side and go street by street in Grid 1 until all property inspections are complete," Wooley added.

Insurance company adjusters are scheduled to visit Grid 1 properties in both St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes from Monday, October 17 through Sunday, October 23. Wooley said companies are making an effort to contact their policyholders to let them know what day they can expect a visit from an adjuster. "My office will then review how many claims were processed in Grid 1 before determining how to best proceed with future grid scheduling," Wooley maintained.

The following are boundaries for Grid 1 in St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes:

St. Bernard Parish: Grid 1 boundaries are Florida Avenue north, North Peters Street south, Aycock and Center Street before Alexander and Frisco Avenue to the east and Angela Avenue and Access Road to the west.

Plaquemines Parish: The entire east bank include the Braithwaite Park subdivision (the Plaquemines Parish/St. Bernard Parish line to the community of Bohemia). Grid 1 is the Council District 1.

Plaquemines Parish officials have further divided Grid 1 into two zones, Zone 1A and Zone 1B.

Zone 1A: encompasses the northern end of the parish to the Belair area.

Zone 1B: encompasses the Belair area to the east bank southern tip of the parish.

Grid 1 maps will be posted on the Department of Insurance Web site:

www.ldi.state.la.us, Hurricane's Katrina and Rita section.

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