Katrina disaster shows need for advance preparation

Cannon Air Force Base Claims Office

From time to time, the forces of nature strike members of our Air Force family — destroying homes, beloved possessions, and sometimes even lives. In case of such disasters, we’re always told to have fresh water, food stores, battery operated radios, flashlights and other emergency materials on hand. Yet we rarely hear about planning to recover from the loss of or damage to personal property.

According to the Air Force General Claims division, two critical lessons emerged from Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. First, all Airmen should have private insurance to cover their personal property. Second, the claims process works best when claimants have proof of property ownership and value.

Among Airmen living on Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. whose personal property was covered by private property — also known as renter’s insurance — claimants received an average of 90 percent of the amounts claimed, considering both insurance proceeds and government settlements.

Sadly, the recovery rate was much lower for Airmen who did not have private insurance or who maintained inadequate insurance or documentation.

We encourage all military members, including base residents, to purchase private property or homeowner’s insurance and to reevaluate the level of coverage annually to determine whether it is still enough to cover a total loss.

Many companies offer insurance at reasonable rates. Get several quotes, and make sure you read and understand what is — and what is not — covered.

Although government claims assistance may be available following a natural disaster, the lesson from Katrina is that everyone should have private insurance – no exceptions.

Where the government’s claims process is available, the law requires that claimants substantiate both ownership and value of property. Proof of value is relatively easy: catalogs, Internet ads and other forms of valuation are acceptable. More difficult, and the single most frustrating part of Katrina claims processing, is substantiation of ownership. In some cases, when everything was destroyed, claimants lost whatever proof of ownership they had.

You should annually take stock of your personal property and store your records in a safe location. Describe items by listing the brand, model, and approximate date purchased. This can be as simple as making a list, taking pictures, or walking around the house while videotaping and describing items. Air Force Form 1760, available at http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/, is a sample record of valuable personal property.

(This article was adapted from a message by the Commander of the Air Force Legal Services Agency. Please contact the Cannon AFB Claims Office at 784-2212 with any questions.)