PURPOSE: In the event of a natural or other disaster which would require an extraordinary response by the Department of Insurance, Missouri has adopted the following plan in advance to respond quickly and effectively to meet the needs of its insured citizens. Activation of the plan should be implemented at the call of the director or his/her designee. This rule regulates the internal affairs of and prescribes procedures to be followed in proceedings before the department.

1. (1) The three (3) members of the Consumer Information Hotline Task Group are—Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, Department of Insurance; Missouri Insurance Information Services; and Independent Insurance Agents of Missouri.

2. (2) The following are procedures to establish a consumer hotline in the event of a disaster in this state. The hotline will provide general information on insurance and will put the consumer in touch with his/her insurance company. Consumers should be encouraged to first contact their insurance company or agent:

   1. (A) Hotline.

      1. 1. Purpose—first, to provide consumers

with information needed to get in touch with their insurance companies and the requisites to file a claim; and second, to convey necessary information to the command post and field office(s).

1. 2. Location. The central hotline is locat-

ed in the offices of the Department of Insurance, Division of Consumer Affairs. The central hotline should be capable of channeling calls to and from the field office(s).

1. 3. Composition. If a disaster is

declared, the hotline should be immediately activated. The hotline should become a twenty-four (24)-hour service utilizing four (4) six (6)-hour shifts. A member of the existing hotline staff would supervise each shift. Companies should also be asked to provide individuals to staff the hotline. These individuals should be on an immediate call-up basis twenty-four (24) hours a day. Field offices might initially be made operational through the use of standby cellular telephones until wired phone links are dropped and established.

1. 4. Communications. The hotline staff

should have a list of eight hundred (800) numbers of the major property/casualty insurers in the state as well as the list of command post field offices and other emergency agency numbers to be used in the event of a disaster. A communication telephone tree should be established to notify hotline workers what shifts they will be staffing after a disaster has been declared by the Department of Insurance. Hotline staff will also be provided with a communications kit which will be used to inform consumers about the claim procedures.

AUTHORITY: section 375.141, RSMo Supp. 1991.* Original rule filed Jan. 15, 1992, effective Sept. 6, 1992.

*Original authority: 375.141, RSMo 1961 and 1965, amended 1967, 1981, 1984 and 1989.