Tropical Storm Isabel taught the people of Baltimore County a good number of lessons about ourselves. We learned that community means more than just meetings and newsletters, that it means neighbor helping neighbor and family helping family.
We learned that a community's collective spirit can lift people and give them a genuine sense of hope in the face of enormous loss. We learned that the heroic efforts of County employees and volunteers can help to ease overwhelming burdens.
In Baltimore County, in communities like Millers Island, our friends, neighbors, and families are still struggling to move ahead. For three months Baltimore County has been assisting storm victims with shelter, food, and other financial assistance. We have assisted with debris collection and permits for reconstruction and repairs. As a local government, I think we have served our residents with an unprecedented commitment.
But as I travel around the County and talk with residents who have lost so much, I have learned something else. The insurance industry performed miserably in the face of this crisis. In this day and age, with a sophisticated, competitive insurance market, there is no justification for the magnitude of uncovered loss that occurred in Eastern Baltimore County, or for the delays and the procrastinations by insurance adjusters.
We heard countless stories of a lack of responsiveness from carriers and poorly performing adjusters. We learned that people were told by their professional insurance agents that they were covered against Isabel's kind of loss when they purchased their insurance, and then told after the storm that there was no coverage.
For these reasons, Baltimore County has engaged former Maryland Insurance Commissioner Steven B. Larsen to conduct an expert analysis of Isabel's aftermath and as appropriate, to make recommendations for legislative change.
Mr. Larsen will: review insurance coverage in effect at the time of the hurricane and the insurance companies' response to claims for coverage resulting from the hurricane; evaluate the laws of Maryland and other states as they relate to coverage for property damage.... specifically damage from wind, rain, and water, and evaluate laws pertaining to the licensing of insurance agents and their educational requirements.
If you had an experience that you believe would assist the County in our fact-finding study, please email us at insurancetroubles@co.ba.md.us.
Baltimore County hired Steve Larsen because he is the best man for the job. He built a tremendous record working on behalf of Maryland's insured. I found his advocacy on behalf of the tornado victims in LaPlata, Maryland to be particularly compelling.
I hope that his study will result in legislative proposals that will prevent this kind of uncovered loss from EVER occurring again anywhere in Maryland. I recognize that we may not be able to make the victims of Isabel whole again. But I want to learn how this sad insurance response happened and how we can prevent it from EVER happening again.
Revised December 22, 2003
Courthouse 