Louisiana’s Flood Damaged Cars Brought to Moss Point

As life slowly gets back to normal for Baton Rouge storm victims, the number of vehicle damage claims continue to pour in. State Farm reports more than 19,000 claims and counting. News 25’s Kristen Durand gives us a look at some of those cars towed to Moss Point.
Flood victims in Louisiana are staying strong, but their damaged vehicles are another matter. Auto Weather and Catastrophe Team Manager Rick Ring said, “These cars have extensive flood damage. A lot of them, there’s different levels, but there’s water up into the dash, all the electronics are damaged, condensation, engine damage, very severe damage.”
It’s not the end of the road for these vehicles. Thousands of flood damaged cars and trucks have been towed from Baton Rouge to Moss Point as part of a deal between State Farm and Insurance Auto Auctions. Now these vehicles will be inspected and sold to salvage buyers. Salvage Team Manager Andy Skates said, “Depends on the condition of the vehicle. Most of these vehicles will likely be sold for parts only.”
Many of the cars that have been towed to Moss Point have pretty bad mold damage. Some were even found floating in residential areas of Baton Rouge. State Farm says most of these cars are total losses. “Last time I worked here was during Hurricane Katrina. This isn’t nearly the size of that, but this is a large event for just a flood without any type of hurricane or anything,” said Ring.
“This is somewhat similar to Hurricane Sandy up in the northeast that occurred a few years back. In fact, I think I heard the other day we just surpassed Sandy’s volume,” said Skates.
As a steady stream of flood damaged vehicles continue to flow in at the auction yard, it’s not the final destination for the parts that can be salvaged to help other vehicles get up and running once again.