Midwest Insurers Pitch In for Katrina Relief
September 19, 2005 by
Laura Mazzucca Toops
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, insurers in the Midwest rose to the challenge, not only by getting adjusters on the ground as quickly as possible, but offering volunteer services and monetary contributions as well.
The efforts ranging from the $1 million donated to the Red Cross by insurers like St. Paul Travelers and Allstate, to the extension of health coverage to Teamsters affected by the disaster.
The following is a partial list of Midwestern insurance industry relief activities to date:
The Allstate Foundation, Northbrook, Ill., established a $1 million fund to be administered by organizations in the affected areas. Allstate is also accepting donations for the American Red Cross Hurricane from its more than 70,000 employees, agents and agency staff, matching donations on a dollar-for-dollar basis with no upward limit.
St. Paul Travelers, St. Paul, Minn., contributed $1 million to the American Red Cross and is facilitating direct contributions to the American Red Cross from its 30,000 employees.
Northwestern Mutual Foundation pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross.
WellPoint Inc. contributed $500,000 to the American Red Cross and has organized an employee contributions, matching donations by 50 percent.
The Teamsters’ Central States Southeast and Southwest Areas Health and Welfare and Pension Funds extended coverage for four weeks to Teamsters unable to work due to effects of the hurricane. In addition, participants and their dependents who seek medical care will not be penalized for using out-of-network providers during that time. The Fund, based in Chicago, provides health and retirement benefits to 450,000 Teamsters and their families.
Western & Southern Financial Group, Cincinnati, contributed $1 million to several charitable organizations, including The American Red Cross, Catholic Charities, and the Salvation Army. Several Western & Southern offices in the area took direct hits from Katrina, although offices are operational in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Thibodaux, La., and Pensacola, Fla.
The affiliated Delta Dental Plans of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross through its mid-Michigan chapter.
Technology vendor Applied Systems, Inc., University Park, Ill., is using its Web site as a clearinghouse to post information on independent insurance agents across the U.S. who are offering office space, phone hookups, workstations and living quarters to hurricane- disabled agencies on the Gulf Coast.
Lockton Companies Inc., a Kansas City, Mo. brokerage, with assistance from its clients, directly shipped three truckloads of items to Pascagoula, Miss. Two of the loads were unloaded at the local Baptist church to approximately 1,500 residents. The third was offloaded at the National Guard distribution center, where a steady stream of people waited in line for the entire day. The three loads were distributed the same day they were unloaded.