CLEARWATER, Fla. — In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the state of Florida is hosting an event that allows community members to meet with their insurance providers.

What You Need To Know

  • The insurance village gives people a chance to meet face-to-face with providers.  

  • The insurance village is located in Clearwater at the Long Center. 

  • It was held Saturday; Sunday's event has been canceled.

The purpose is to help those affected by the storm with the filing of their insurance claims, with an in-person agent. 

For people like Cindy Simpson, who has struggled to get in touch with her insurance company, having a place to meet with an agent in person is important.

“I kept calling every hour on the hour until 10:00 on Friday night. Nobody would call me back.”

All the furniture and the appliances on the ground at Simpson’s home were destroyed during the hurricane.

The frustrations she faced led her to the insurance village at Clearwater’s Long Center.

Chief Financial Officer for the state of Florida, Jimmy Patronis, said they want to help those affected by Helene make progress with their claim.

“It’s a lifetime worth of memories that’s sitting out on the curb of somebody’s house,” he said. “So it’s a little hard for some of these folks. And yeah, we help with insurance claims, and we also give hugs to. We’re all in this together and our job is to help people through the financial recovery after disaster.”

Organizers said policyholders should bring as much info as they can.

This includes a driver’s license or passport, insurance cards, pictures and documentation of the damage, repair estimates and any other insurance info.

“The consumer deserves to be able to have access to their carrier and sometimes face-to-face is just so much more of an effective way to communicate,” Patronis said.

The event was held Friday and Satuday, but Sunday's event has been canceled.