News Archive
Merlin Responding to Flooding in North West of UK
20/11/2009
Friday 20 November 2009
Merlin Claims are today responding to widespread flooding which has hit the North West of England following sustained severe weather over the past 48 hours.
Numerous rivers have burst their banks, causing widespread flooding, with the main affected areas currently Carlisle, Keswick, Cockermouth, Workington, Penrith and Dumfries and Galloway.
Commenting Chris Cowley, one of our senior managers’ coordinating the Merlin response said, “We have received large numbers of flood claims this morning and where we can gain access visits have already been made or will be before the end of today. The problem that we are facing, as is often the case, is that we are unable to access many of the affected areas. Roads are blocked with flood water, numerous bridges have been destroyed, and the emergency services are not allowing access to many of the affected locations. Where we are able to gain access, we are applying the lessons learned from previous flood events and liaising closely with the Policyholders to ensure a fully coordinated approach to the strip out, drying and repair process from the very outset.
Where access is not currently available, our Adjusters are speaking to the affected Policyholders, applying triage advice, and where needed, organising alternative accommodation. Our teams of Adjusters and Contractors are on standby throughout the weekend in order to deal with claims as they are received”
Russell Crewe, Merlin’s Director of Operations said,
“Our teams have responded very quickly to this latest flood event. Further severe weather is forecast over the weekend and we are expecting more flooding to occur and ensuring that we have adequate resources in place to respond. Our aim is to visit all new flood claims, access permitting, on the day received. We are keeping in close touch with our Insurer clients as events unfold and will deliver a joined up approach between Adjuster, and Contractors from the word go”
Merlin is in the process of preparing a FAQ sheet answering some of the questions commonly asked, which will be posted on this site shortly. We will publish regular update bulletins as events unfold over the coming days.
