Released: October 20, 2005

Commissioner of Insurance Robert Wooley says members of the Department's Consumer Affairs staff and employees of other states' insurance departments are on hand at 12 state DRCs to help policyholders with their hurricane-related insurance questions or problems.

Wooley contends that, following Hurricane Katrina, the Department was overwhelmed with phone calls from other state insurance departments wanting to send their employees to help our citizens. "It took until after Hurricane Rita for us to find lodging for these folks, but once we did, Consumer Affairs staff members from New York, Florida, Pennsylvania and Washington State quickly showed up at their own expense and are now out in the field with our staff helping policyholders," Wooley says. The Commissioner notes employees of the Louisiana DOI spent several weeks in Florida last year helping consumers with their insurance needs following that state's fourth hurricane of the season.

Below are the DRC locations where DOI staff members are housed:

• Ascension Parish; 13192 Airline Hwy., Gonzales

• Calcasieu Parish; Leadership Center; 1701 Ryan St., Lake Charles

• East Baton Rouge Parish; 1&2 Maritime Place; 101 France St., Baton Rouge

• Iberia Parish; 601 W. Admiral Doyle Dr., New Iberia

• Livingston Parish; Old Jamboree Bldg.; 9554 US Hwy. 190, Walker

• Orleans Parish (Eastbank); Jewish Community Center; 5342 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans

• Orleans Parish (Westbank); L.B. Landry High School; 1200 Landry Blvd. (Whitney Blvd. & LaMarque St.), New Orleans

• Plaquemines Parish; Belle Chasse Auditorium; 8398 Hwy. 23, Belle Chasse

• St. Bernard Parish; 8101 W. Judge Perez Rd., Chalmette

• St. John the Baptist Parish; 160 Belle Terre, LaPlace

• St. Tammany Parish; John Slidell Municipal Park Recreation Center, 105 Robert Rd., Slidell

• Vermilion Parish; 407 Charity St., Abbeville

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