N.J. deploys mobile insurance offices to help with Sandy claims

New Jersey is setting up some mobile offices Thursday in Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex counties to help the state’s residents deal with their Hurricane Sandy insurance concerns.

Gov. Chris Christie says high-level staff from the Department of Banking and Insurance will be at those mobile sites from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. in Bayville, Oakhurst and Sayreville.

“The idea here is to get into the communities that have been most devastated by the storm as they now go into the next phase of this, which is collecting on insurance, having their claims handled, and getting their businesses back up to speed by having access to capital,” Christie said Wednesday.

Residents are urged to bring their insurance policy and claim information.

“We don’t want people to have to worry about getting on the phone with the Banking and Insurance Department,” the governor said. “We’re going to bring the Banking and Insurance Department to them so they can have their questions answered on scene.

“If there’s interventions we need to make with insurance companies, then we can do that on a real-time basis for them.”

If the one-day outreach program goes well, Christie says it might be expanded to the Department of Community Affairs to help with municipal issues and permitting problems related to the storm.

In Middlesex County, an office will be at the Sayreville Senior Center, 423 Main St., Sayreville; in Monmouth County, at West Park Recreation Center, 615 W. Park Ave., Oakhurst; and in Ocean County, at the Berkeley Township Recreation Center, 630 Route 9, Bayville.