Zurich Insurance reminds Texans to remain safe during and after Hurricane Harvey

As Hurricane Harvey takes aim at southeast Texas, Zurich Insurance is reminding customers to follow safety precautions during the event and after the storm has passed.

The slow-moving storm is expected to bring high winds and storm surges along the Gulf Coast of Texas and significant rainfall throughout the region. Harvey may linger for days, increasing the risk of flooding, which can cause property damage and also close local roads, making it difficult to reach homes and businesses even after the rains stop falling.

Teams from Zurich’s Risk Engineering and Claims Catastrophe Operations groups are working to anticipate where and when severe weather might impact our customers’ businesses. In addition to tracking storms and predicting their likely paths, these teams also aim to ensure the necessary resources and manpower are in place to mitigate any damage to customers before a severe-weather event.

Zurich also offers some key steps to consider taking after a major windstorm:

• Check with local authorities to find out if the area around your building and the building itself are safe to enter;
• Conduct a hazard assessment;
• Perform emergency repairs, such as boarding up broken windows and openings, placing tarps where needed to prevent water damage;
• Report your claim as soon as possible. Zurich customers can report claims online at: https://webclaims.zurichna.com/#/claims

Texas is home to nearly $1.2 trillion of insured coastal properties vulnerable to hurricanes, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Only New York and Florida are ranked higher. Zurich is the 6th largest commercial insurance company in Texas, based on written premiums, according to SNL Financial.

Additional windstorm tips from Zurich are available online at: https://www.zurichna.com/en/knowledge/topics/windstorm.

About Zurich
Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) is a leading multi-line insurer that serves its customers in global and local markets. With about 54,000 employees, it provides a wide range of property and casualty, and life insurance products and services in more than 210 countries and territories. Zurich’s customers include individuals, small businesses, and mid-sized and large companies, as well as multinational corporations. The Group is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, where it was founded in 1872. The holding company, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd (ZURN), is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and has a level I American Depositary Receipt (ZURVY) program, which is traded over-the-counter on OTCQX. Further information about Zurich is available at www.zurich.com.

In North America, Zurich is a leading commercial property-casualty insurance provider serving the global corporate, large corporate, middle market, specialties and programs sectors through the individual member companies of Zurich in North America, including Zurich American Insurance Company. Life insurance and disability coverage issued in the United States in all states except New York is issued by Zurich American Life Insurance Company, an Illinois domestic life insurance company. In New York, life insurance and disability coverage is issued by Zurich American Life Insurance Company of New York, a New York domestic life insurance company. For more information about the products and services it offers and people Zurich employs around the world go to www.zurichna.com. 2012 marked Zurich's 100-year anniversary of insuring America and the success of its customers, shareholders and employees.