Storm debris pickup organized: tips for filing claims

The city of Scottsbluff will be collecting debris from Tuesday's night's hailstorm. All big branches should be placed on the curb for pickup. Public Works Director Mark Bohl says leaves need to be removed from your property and placed in yard containers.

If you wish to take the debris off your property immediately, you make take it to the Environmental Services building at 609 E. 2nd Street behind Ideal Linen or to the composting site at 16025 County Road M.

J.G. Elliott Insurance has guidelines for property owners....

Do what you can to minimize additional damage and a higher claim, including boarding up windows. Boarding up damaged areas may require the hiring of a glass or construction company so keep receipts because many insurance companies will reimburse for fees incurred.

Report the loss immediately to your insurance agent. Your agent will give you further instructions as to the next step you should take. Some companies prefer that you, the insured, phone them direct. Other companies request claims to be reported by the agency. Your agent will let you know which procedure your insuring company requires.


Wait Patiently: After you have reported the loss by filing a claim, be patient. When a storm passes through, thousands of claims have been reported. Adjusters are working as fast as they can in order to process all the claims.



Don't put off filing the claim: In the same line of thinking, you may think, "I'm going to wait until the rush dies down before I turn in the claim." This is not advisable. In many cases, insurance companies have formulated "storm teams" to send into areas hit hard by a storm. The teams are well coordinated and work quickly to resolve the claims. It is in your best interest to submit a claim while the teams are in the area.

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