Santam expedites hail damage relief for country’s most affected areas

- Hail pushers from Brazil, US and EU to bolster relief efforts - Additional premises being erected in hardest hit hail damaged area - Estimated value of damage up to R35 million

Santam, South Africa’s largest short-term insurer announced that 25 hail pushing technicians from Brazil, the Netherlands, USA, England and Slovenia will be arriving in South Africa in the next 10 working days, to bolster its already contracted hail damage repair capacity.

“'The added capacity of imported hail dent pushers, which are specialised artisans with special panel beating tools designed to take out dents such as those caused by hail where the paint of the vehicle has not been damaged, is just one of the tactical measures we have implemented to respond speedily to the trail of devastation left by last weekend’s flood and hail storms,” says Fanus Coetzee, Head of Adjustment Services at Santam.

The short-term insurer says the total estimated value of storm damage to date is now at R35 million, with close to 400 claims coming from Port Elizabeth for storm damage, and close to 2000 claims from Gauteng for hail damage to cars and homes. “The bulk of the claims in Gauteng came from primarily the East Rand, the area which was hit hardest by last weekend’s hail storm,” says Coetzee.

To further bolster its capacity to deal with very large numbers of increased hail damage vehicle claims volumes coming from the East Rand; the insurer, in partnership with its contracted repairer, secured additional premises in Edenvale. “This premise will be dedicated to working closely with our clients; to repair their hail damaged vehicles and finalising their claims,” says Coetzee.

“For policyholders, it is during critical times such as these when they need assistance the most and need to know that their insurers will in fact step up to the plate and deliver. Many of our policyholders in these areas are putting our insurance service delivery to the test and we are working hard to make the process as seamless as possible for them,’ says Coetzee.

Coetzee continues to say that policyholders should remember the following steps in the event of hail damage:

• Immediately contact their broker or Santam directly on Santam’s 24/7 SOS Emergency and Claims line to register the claim where they will be directed on next steps by consultants.

• There is no need to source any quotes for repair work, this can and is done for them by the insurer. Clients can take their vehicles to a Santam Drive-in Assessment centre nearest to them. The Drive-in Assessment centre will assess the damage and authorise repair work immediately through any of the contracted and specialised repairers. Clients will receive a price comparison based on their location telephonically from the call centre. A mobile unit will be sent out if they fall within the km radius or they will be directed to go to a fitment centre. Repairers will then contact the client to schedule their vehicle for repairs.
• For repairs or replacement of motor glass, Santam policy holders can also contact Santam’s 24/7 SOS Emergency and Claims line to register a claim and they will then be directed to the most appropriate glass fitment centre to have their vehicle glass repaired.

“Damage caused by hail and flood storms which are prevalent in the Highveld between November and January months, can be prevented or limited with the following simple precautions,” says Coetzee.

On the road:

· Vehicle owners should follow weather reports closely during summer to lessen the risk of being caught in a hailstorm while driving – in severe cases hail can be 20cm deep.

· If a hailstorm starts while driving, the first thing to do is to find a shelter such as a petrol station, shopping mall parking area or even a bridge.

· If there is no shelter nearby, pull over to a safe area because hail will cause more damage to a moving vehicle.

· If parked in the driveway, or if there is no parking garage, vehicle owners should layer their vehicles with thick blankets to minimise the impact of hailstones, these can be bought cheaply and left in the boot of the vehicle.

At home:

· It’s important to clear gutters of leaves, twigs and any other debris regularly. Hail takes a while to melt and an overflowing gutter could lead to a leaking roof and further damage.

· When fitting gutters, quality matters. Better quality gutters are able to withstand increased water flow during rainfall and hailstorms.

· When building, it’s sensible to opt for impact resistant roofing as it will prevent any serious damage to the roof structure

Hailstones have been recorded to be as big as 7cm in diameter and can cause irreparable damage, especially to vehicles.

“The good news is that general insurance taken out for household covers this sort of damage and the same principle is extended for motor vehicle insurance. It is advised that policy holders check with their brokers or insurers to ensure that they are appropriately covered for hail,” concludes Coetzee.