While American Collectors Insurance’s New Jersey headquarters is located far inland from the coastal towns that suffered the brunt of Hurricane Sandy’s force, we continue to feel the storm’s impact. Hundreds of our policyholders were affected, and in some cases damage to a collector car was the least of their worries. Quickly realizing just how severe the effects of the “superstorm” were, we immediately regrouped and started working on proactively contacting policyholders in affected areas — just to make sure they were safe and to offer our support. It hasn’t been easy due to extensive power outages and spotty cellular phone coverage here in the Tri-State area, but that hasn’t stopped nearly everyone from American Collectors’ CEO Jill Bookman on down from getting on the phone with policyholders in the days and weeks since Sandy. Losses are still being counted, but there will be thousands of cars affected when the numbers are totaled. Many will be written off, but there are also going to be hundreds of cars with body and water damage heading for shops throughout the country, not just in the Northeast. This means there could be a backlog at your local shop — or a shortage of parts. There are areas near the shore where literally every single car was damaged, either by debris or water. As anyone who’s ever worked on a water-damaged car can attest, this type of repair is hard going, especially when salt water is involved. It can't just look OK—it has to be disassembled so that any pockets where water could accumulate can be flushed out and resealed. Essentially, all the collector cars that came in contact with salt water will need to be refurbished, restored, or sadly, written off. To get all these cars (not to mention lives) back into something resembling their previous condition is going to take a lot of work, from many people. Fortunately, coming together in times of need is one of the things the old car hobby does best. So even as residents of the Atlantic coast are still struggling with housing, food, and water; car clubs and other organizations in areas that weren’t completely devastated are gearing up to try and help. Here are just a few examples: Some clubs are literally rolling into action. Wicked Rides Car Club organized a Sandy relief supplies drop-off in Manahawkin, New Jersey. Paul Davis Restoration of Hopewell Junction, New York, and The Embalmers Car Club are not only collecting supplies, but they’re driving them into affected areas, too. Dutchess Cruisers Car Club in the same town is collecting supplies, which they’ll be taking into horribly damaged Staten Island. The American Cruisers Car Club in Binghamton, New York, was part of an effort that brought a truckload of supplies to the Ocean County Food Bank in New Jersey. Some clubs have already managed to hold events, or repurposed existing ones. The Blue Moon Kruizers of Howell, New Jersey, not only managed to hold their annual Halloween Cruise, but raised money doing so: “In conjunction with the devastating hurricane that hit our area, we have sent a check to the Howell Food Pantry in the amount of $1,849, to feed the residents of the town,” reports club president John Lebrio. While Commack, New York was a community seriously affected by the hurricane, its popular New York Autofest is not only happening on November 25 as scheduled, but now 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Hurricane Sandy Long Island Disaster Relief (LIDR), a campaign of Newsday Charities. The Robert R. McCormick Foundation, the parent organization of Newsday Charities, is matching 50% of fundraising for LIDR, up to the first $500,000. For some other clubs, though, it’s still too soon. Many people are only getting phones and power back now, and we expect to see more activity as Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays approach. Helping those in need hasn’t stopped with car clubs, as manufacturers have also pledged to help. Contributions include $1 million each for the American Red Cross from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota; $500,000 each from Hyundai and Volkswagen; $100,000 and 20 Ram 1500 Tradesman trucks from Chrysler; $50,000 from Ford; 50 trucks and $250,000 to the Red Cross Disaster Responder Program from Chevrolet; and $100,000 from Mazda. Most of these companies are matching employee donations, as well. Ferrari has even donated their first ever North American F12 Berlinetta to an auction the Red Cross is holding for Sandy relief efforts. Like many European and Japanese car companies, their headquarters were in a Sandy-affected area. The car has an MSRP of approximately $350,000, but there’s a history of achieving many times retail prices when cars are auctioned for charity. In addition to our telephone outreach efforts, American Collectors Insurance also is coordinating our own in-house fundraiser for Sandy relief and is actively collecting and distributing supplies to people in affected areas. For both American Collectors and the car owners we help insure, this is only the beginning of a recovery process that will take months or even longer. With help from all over the car world, things will improve at least a little bit faster.
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Here are some FAQs on how to handle claims if your vehicle has been affected by a hurricane or other natural disaster: Q. What should I do first? Q. Is it okay to clean up after taking pictures and notes? Q. Who should I call about damage to my collector car and when? If you need to submit a claim, you can simply click here or you can always call us directly at |