ALDOI To Send Response Team to Prattville

Contact: Ragan Ingram
334-868-9863

2/18/2008

The Alabama Department of Insurance is dispatching its disaster response vehicle and consumer specialists to Prattville to aid citizens there with insurance questions following Sunday afternoon’s tornado, Commissioner Walter A. Bell said today.

The ALDOI Disaster Response Vehicle will be located in the parking lot of Office Depot on Cobbs Ford Road, across from Wal-Mart. It will be open for business at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

“One of the lessons learned from Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina was that we needed a vehicle that would allow us to set up a mobile office in an area after a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or a tornado,” Commissioner Bell said. “We were able to use the vehicle with success in Lawrence County and Jackson County following the storms earlier this month, and we will be setting it up again in Prattville.

“Our fire marshals helped provide security overnight, and we will be staffing the disaster response vehicle on Tuesday morning.”
Commissioner Bell also said the Department has contacted the major property insurers to encourage them to send their disaster teams to Prattville as well. At least one company was in place by Monday.

“Anything we can do to make this difficult time a little easier is worth extra effort on the Department’s part, and on the part of the companies that provide insurance coverage,” Commissioner Bell said.

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