Meanwhile, thousands of area residents whose cars and trucks flooded have overrun local rental companies. At Enterprise, for example, there's a three-day waiting list for a vehicle, said Alex Bonck, Jefferson Highway branch manager. The company has gotten 3,000 reservation requests from people with insurance claims.
On Monday, State Farm reported 3,220 auto claims and 1,240 homeowner claims. State Farm expects the number of claims will continue to grow.
"Especially since the water is moving and there have been challenges getting into some areas," said Roszell Gadson, a spokesman for State Farm
A lot of the homeowner claims result from water coming through roofs and water-sewer drain backup, Gadson said. Sewer drain backup is an optional coverage that some homeowners have chosen to buy.
Duane Hardy, vice president of claims with Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co., said the company's catastrophe teams are in the field, inspecting the damage that has been reported in the areas where they can gain access.
"We know it's truly devastating and it's widespread, but at this point it's a little too early to project the numbers," Hardy said.
Hardy said he didn't have exact figures on the number of Farm Bureau claims adjusters that are already in the Baton Rouge area or on the way.
State Farm has more than 30 percent of the state's auto insurance market and a similar share of the homeowner's market, according to records at the Louisiana Department of Insurance. Louisiana Farm Bureau has around 5 percent of the homeowner's market and close to 6 percent of the auto market. Allstate, which insures around 11 percent of homes and 13 percent of autos, is publicly traded and could not comment on claims. Ditto for Progressive, one of the largest auto insurers in the state.
Most of the insurers say they have already sent catastrophe teams to the area.
State Farm has deployed around 300 claims adjusters to the area, Gadson said. Many of those people are already in the field and others are arriving. The company also has three Centralized Catastrophe Services operations and Initial Loss Reporting teams helping to handle claims.
"This has been an event that is mostly auto, and most of those auto claims are not drivable. Therefore most of our claims personnel will be going out to people's homes and businesses and wherever those cars are located to do inspections and to work with the owner to have them towed away," Gadson said.
Four out of five people whose vehicles are covered by State Farm have comprehensive auto coverage, which pays for flood damage. The most recent figures from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners show that in 2013, 74 percent of Louisiana drivers bought the optional comprehensive coverage.
Locally, rental car companies say they have no cars available.
"We're trying to make sure we have their reservations in the system, and once we have some vehicles available we're trying to take care of as many customers as we can," Bonck said.
Enterprise is getting some vehicles in from Texas, Mississippi and other out-of-state locations, but it will take a couple of days to get that done, he said.
Flood victims are also starting to hit the car dealerships. Matt McBrayer, general manager of Royal Nissan, said the dealership has 10 rentals available for people getting repairs. Those vehicles have all been rented.
So far, the dealership is working with about 20 people whose cars were flooded and want a new replacement, he said. In the March flooding, the dealership dealt with around 100 water-damaged vehicles that were towed in. More often than not, the cars are totaled, although a few had minor damage and could be repaired.
Area towing companies say they have been inundated by calls for service.
"We're towing like crazy right now," said Jeff Babin, manager of the Baton Rouge location of Guy's Towing Service.
Babin said the company has probably towed 60 to 70 vehicles since Monday night. Several other towing companies have told him they're extremely busy.
Judy Smart, owner of Roadrunner Towing, said the company has towed at least 200 flooded cars in the last six days and fielded many times that number of phone calls.
Roadrunner's 16-acre yard is full, and the company is putting cars anywhere it can cram them, said Smart, whose car and home flooded.
Source: AAA
Recent flooding has left thousands of motorists with vehicles that were submerged to varying degrees. Vehicle flooding often results in difficult and expensive repairs. To avoid causing additional problems, AAA advises following these guidelines when dealing with a flooded vehicle.
• Do not attempt to start a vehicle in standing water unless the water level is below the door openings and never rose any higher than the door opening. Trying to start a vehicle that is currently, or was previously exposed to higher water levels could result in immediate and severe engine damage if water is drawn into the combustion chambers.
• Do not start the car if water has gotten inside the vehicle until a thorough professional inspection and cleaning has been performed. In general, the higher the water level, the greater the potential for flood-related problems.
Before attempting to start a flood-damaged car, an owner or qualified technician should:
• Inspect all mechanical components and systems that contain fluids for water contamination
• Drain floodwater from contaminated components and systems, then flush and refill with new clean fluids of the proper types
• Inspect, clean, and dry all electrical system components and connections
If the water level never rose above the door openings and the interior of the vehicle is dry, most vehicles can be started and driven safely. However, it is a good idea to have the undercarriage washed to remove any storm debris, including dirt, salt and other contaminants that might have been in the floodwater. You may also want to have a qualified repair facility inspect the brakes and any other mechanical or electrical components that were partially or completely submerged.
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