'Small army' of insurance claims teams ready to help flood victims

Insurers have been "mobilising a small army" of claims teams to help victims of the Storm Desmond floods - but it could take up to a year for homes to become habitable again.

Businesses and homes need to be properly assessed and dried out before people move back in, and inhabitants must avoid rushing back if their houses are not ready, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said.

Claims teams have been in Cumbria since before the storm began because of the expected damage and have plans in place to deal with extreme weather conditions, a spokesman said.

The ABI's Malcolm Tarling said: "If homes and businesses are uninhabitable - even a couple of inches of flood water is awful and severely traumatic - insurers will arrange and pay for emergency accommodation.

"Quite a few companies had booked claims reps into the area as early as last week when there were predictions of this, so they were almost ready to move before it started raining."

The ABI's guide to dealing with major flooding says it can take more than a year for homes to become habitable again if they are damaged by flooding.

This is largely because of the time needed to dry out and disinfect the home with antibacterial treatments and the installation of drying equipment.

The restoration of damaged homes begins with the removal of debris and silt from the flood, and is followed by a "stripping out" process which includes hacking off damaged plaster and woodwork.

"It is impossible to tell how long it could take to get back into homes because no two cases are the same," Mr Tarling said. "But it could take weeks for properties to fully dry out. That is why insurers arrange for temporary accommodation to help people.

"The drying-out process is key but you cannot do anything until the flood waters have receded.

"The danger is that once the flood waters have receded people get back in and start redecorating. If you do that, you do run the risk six months down the line of finding that problems occur because the property has not fully dried out."

The ABI's guidance states: "The most important factor will be the length of time it takes for your home to dry out. Depending on the severity of the flooding, this can take a few weeks to several months or more."

After the floods of 2013/14, 60% of flood claims were fully settled within six months, almost three quarters within nine months and most people were home after a year, according to the ABI.

Flooding in Cumbria in 2009 resulted in more than £170 million being paid out for repairing damaged homes and businesses, as well as arranging accommodation while repairs were being carried out. The 2005 floods in Carlisle cost £272 million.

The storms of the 2013/2014 winter are estimated to have caused a total insurance payout of more than £1 billion, according to the ABI.