GIC Takes Aerial Wildfire Photographs To Assist Insurers
As wildfires continue to burn across the western US, the Geospatial Insurance Consortium (GIC) is flying aircraft over impacted areas to capture high-resolution aerial photographs and data on damages. The GIC is an initiative by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) to provide geospatial aerial images and data.
The GIC has collected wildfire imagery in Oregon, California, Washington and Montana, giving insurers the ability to search for addresses and view “before” and “after” aerial images of impacted properties. Imagery is collected as smoke and weather permits and is made available to GIC members within 24 hours of collection.
Current GIC post-catastrophe wildfire imagery includes:
- Alameda Drive-Glendower-Obenchain fires in Jackson County, Ore.
- Bear-North Complex in Butte County, Calif.
- Creek fire in Fresno and Madera Counties, Calif.
- Bridger Foothills in Gallatin County, Mont.
- Babb fire in Whitman County, Wash.
The GIC continues to monitor conditions and collect data and imagery in other areas, including several other large fires in Oregon and California.
Geospatial images help provide insurers with information to better respond to and settle claims faster, while also mitigating the possibility of fraud. The imagery is also provided to emergency personnel, law enforcement and first responders at no charge.
“With devastating wildfires like these, damage assessment is crucial to expedite the recovery process,” said Richard Butgereit, director of catastrophe for the GIC. “We know that post-disaster, high-resolution aerial imagery can speed up the recovery process, allowing claims processing to proceed faster as well as obtain benchmark fraud for or GIC customers.”
In areas like Malden, Wash., officials have estimated that up to 80% of structures have been destroyed.
“This imagery can assist with long-term recovery or inform a distressed home or business owner that their property is still standing,” Buttgereit said.
“Technological advances have improved in recent years, providing insurers with critical tools to enhance fraud detection and expedite fraud investigations,” said Timothy Slater, NICB senior vice president and chief operating officer. “The GIC is just another example of how the industry is leveraging innovation to help fight fraud in the wake of a disaster like this one.”
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