Natural Disaster Holiday Help

(Almost) Everything You Need to Know About Natural Disaster CoverInsuraTrip gives you the rundown on what to do in the event of a Natural Disaster

January 2018

A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth. This includes events such as fire, earthquake, storm, lightning, explosion, hurricane and major outbreak of disease resulting in quarantine.

In the last year it would be hard to miss headlines highlighting the damage caused by natural disasters around the globe; from wildfires in California forcing hundreds of thousands of people out of their homes, to flooding and landslides in Sierra Leone that killed at least 312 people and left a further 2,000 homeless.

So, what are you supposed to do if you are caught in a natural disaster while you are on holiday?

First things first, is to do your best to stay safe with your loved ones and follow instructions given by the local emergency services!

Good news, if you are on a package holiday and travel has been organised using a travel operator such as Thomas Cook, then you will need to contact your tour operator as soon as possible. Your tour operator will have a duty of care to you, to ensure, if necessary, that you get home safely and/or provide additional accommodation as required.

If you have not booked your travel with a Tour Operator, then you are classed as an Independent Traveller. If this applies to you, then you should take reasonable and necessary steps to stay safe and you should also check your travel insurance policy to see if your circumstances are covered by your policy. If you believe that you are covered, call your Travel Insurance Emergency Assistance contact number, where advice will be given on the next steps to take.

If you are an uninsured independent traveller, you can find advice on what to do from the FCO (Foreign & Commonwealth Office), here: Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide

InsuraTrip’s Top Natural Disaster Tips

• Contact your friends and family as soon as possible, after being made aware of a natural disaster in your travel destination.
• Unless essential, we do not recommend using a tool such as Facebook’s Crisis Response tool and marking yourself as ‘safe’, as this will highlight to people that you are out of the country and may put any property and/or valuables that you have at home at risk.
• Check the FCO website for the latest updates about your destination.
• Follow the advice of local emergency services and authorities, unless the FCO advises differently.
• Contact your tour operator or airline and insurer.

Are you an InsuraTrip Customer?

Good news – we are here to help.

Firstly, check that you meet all of the following criteria:

• I am an InsuraTrip customer with a valid policy, currently in force.
• I am currently abroad, in a location that is covered by my policy.
• My current location is experiencing a Natural Disaster (fire, flood, earthquake, storm, lightning, explosion, hurricane or the area is quarantined due to a major outbreak of an infectious disease), which is directly affecting my trip.

If all of the above criteria applies to you, then you should call our Emergency Assistance Line immediately: +44 (0) 203 829 6745

If you have not yet departed from the UK for your trip, and your destination if affected by a natural disaster, then you may be eligible to make a claim if you purchased the additional Policy Option Supplier Insolvency and Disruption Cover. If so, check your Policy Wording for the appropriate next steps.

Further Information for InsuraTrip Customers

Natural Disaster Cover will cover additional costs for travel and accommodation within a 20 mile radius to the same standard as those on your booking to enable you to continue your trip close to that originally booked if the pre-booked accommodation has been damaged by fire, flood, earthquake, storm, lightning, explosion, hurricane or the area is quarantined due to a major outbreak of an infectious disease.

For Terms, Conditions and Exclusions, check your Policy Wording.

Written by Evie