WILDFIRES AND FLOODS DESTROY CARS, SO PROTECTING
DOCUMENTS IS VITAL

In California, strong Santa Ana winds are raking wildfire across a desiccated California landscape,
destroying countless acres of property and putting lives in danger. In the fire’s wake, there are
twisted, blackened hulks, which until recently were beloved vintage cars and trucks. Property can
be replaced, but when calamity strikes and a classic car enthusiast’s once-gleaming pride and joy is
reduced to smoldering wreckage, it’s good to have ownership documentation handy when filing an
insurance claim. Without proof of ownership, it can be more difficult to lay hands on much-needed,
post-disaster insurance money.

Our friends at Hagerty say the best place to keep important documents, like a vehicle’s title, is in a
fireproof safe or safe deposit box, not a glovebox. It sounds simple, but many people consider the
title as just another piece of paper—like the car’s registration or insurance paperwork. Each state’s
motor vehicle department handles lost or stolen titles differently; flood-damage procedures also
vary.

Replacing a lost title in the Golden State is straightforward—the claimant simply applies for a new
one. The legal owner must fill out a duplicate title application, sign it and have it notarized, and
provide a California driver’s license number, valid address, and the vehicle’s license plate number.
There is also a fee—the amount depends upon the vehicle—but it’s not a lot of money. Kacy Smith,
Hagerty Total Loss and Rental Specialist, says Hagerty requires the title to ensure that the vehicle
in question is free of liens before an insurance check can be sent.

Smith says Hagerty monitors disasters that are likely to destroy its customers’ cars. In the case of
the California wildfires, company representatives reached out to the state’s department of motor
vehicles for answers to questions that clients would likely ask once the dust settled.
“That way, when the claims started coming in, we could automatically send that information to
customers,” Smith explains.

It has been a busy year for wildfires in western states. In many places, it was also one of the
costliest. Fire has been part of the region’s ecology since pre-Colombian times, but the U.S. Forest
Service says fire risk is up as development stretches further into wilderness areas. If you live where
wildland vegetation poses a fire risk, taking precautions to preserve important documents is a must.
The same holds true for the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, where residents have always faced the risk of
flooding and wind damage from hurricanes.

The same holds true for the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, where residents have always faced the risk of
flooding and wind damage from hurricanes. The Federal Emergency Management Agency
recommends storing important documents—not only vehicle titles and registration, but vital records,
birth certificates, passports, financial and insurance documents, and military service identification—
in a fireproof and waterproof container that can be grabbed quickly if you have to quickly leave your
home.

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An important message from our Service Partners at Hagerty Insurance/Hagerty Media Properties