Hurricane IAN hit the coast of Florida as a category 4 hurricane. IAN made landfall September 28. The ferocious 150-mph winds pushed ashore feet of water from the Gulf of Mexico that tore through homes and businesses along the coast.

IAN brought complete devastation to parts of the Florida coast, likely causing $50 to $70 billion in insured losses from Florida to the Carolinas. IAN is the costliest storm in Florida history. Days after landfall, some residents of island communities are cut off from the mainland, hundreds of thousands of people are without power and many Floridians have found themselves homeless. The storm destroyed densely populated areas of southwest Florida — including Ft. Myers, Naples and barrier island communities such as Sanibel Island. Ian thrashed parts of Florida’s western coast, bringing intense winds, heavy rainfall, and catastrophic storm surges. A storm surge with inundation of an unprecedented 12 to 18 feet above ground level.

IAN made a third and final U.S. landfall in South Carolina two days after slamming into Florida. The storm regained strength as it moved into the state making landfall as a CAT 1 hurricane. Hurricane IAN flooded beach areas and residential neighborhoods with storm surges and massive rainfall, sending seawater flowing over roads.

IAN Timeline

Hurricane IAN was being watched long before it made landfall. It started as a tropical disturbance east of the Caribbean and was given a name once it reached tropical-storm status near South America.

Ian’s intensity grew as it exited Cuba and moved over the Gulf of Mexico and toward Florida.

The storm made its second overall landfall and first U.S. landfall Sept. 28 on Cayo Costa island off the coast of Southwest Florida. About 90 minutes later, Ian made a second U.S. landfall and third overall near Punta Gorda, Florida.

Ian weakened as it moved across the Florida Peninsula and exited the state Sept. 29. However, it regained hurricane strength in the Atlantic as it turned toward the Southeastern U.S.

The final landfall for Hurricane Ian happened Sept. 30 near Georgetown, South Carolina. That marked the third U.S. landfall of the storm and fourth overall.

IAN Claims Handling

Hurricane IAN was a massive and destructive storm. Time management can be tough for adjusters during a catastrophe. Time management is really self-management. With a busy schedule as an adjuster, you need to be aware of how you spend your day. Map out your inspection routes to make sure you can get to the property in a timely manner. Some inspections may be impossible to get to right away. Make sure you speak with the insured to find out if you can access the property before taking time out of your busy schedule to travel to the inspection. Other inspections may take longer than expected. Plan everything you possibly can ahead of time and try not to over schedule yourself.

As an adjuster, you are likely going to be dealing with people who are experiencing the worst moments of their lives. It is important to keep in mind the insured you are speaking with may have lost everything. Be mindful of your actions and words as you inspect the claim.

Thank you to everyone who is working with Compass during this catastrophe. Our thoughts are with those affected by IAN.

The 2022 hurricane season has been extremely quiet. While hurricane season has been calm, there have been many other catastrophes striking parts of the nation. Floods, heat waves, wildfires, tornadoes and more have hit the nation this year. Below are a few of the major storms that have hit the nation this year.

Kentucky & Missouri

Record-breaking rainfall brought devastating flash floods to parts of Kentucky and Missouri in the last week of July. The slash flood started on July 25-26 in the St. Louis. Missouri area, where a series of thunderstorms rolled through the region one after the other. The National Weather Service, NWS, noted the rainfall rates reached two inches per hour. 25 percent of the city’s annual rainfall fell in just 12 hours, according to the NWS. In the communities of eastern Kentucky, heavy rain fell on July 27-28 causing mudslides and intense flooding. Between 8 and 10 inches fell in 48 hours.

Texas

Flash floods struck parts of Texas. Parts of Texas saw more than 10 inches of rainfall starting August 21 and into August 22, flooding streets, homes, and businesses. The flash floods brought 2 to 4 inches of rainfall per hour causing considerable flooding. More than 100 homes were damaged during the flood. Footage showed rescue efforts of residents from flooded homes and vehicles. This event was the second worst rainstorm and flooding event on record for parts of North Texas.

Yellowstone

Unseasonable warm weather, melting snow and heavy rains caused widespread flooding across the north end of the park. Following days of heavy rainfall, the park was shut down and evacuated. Roads and bridges were overwhelmed, mud and rock slides were set off and major damage to multiple roads were confirmed, according to Yellowstone National Park travel.

Minnesota

Minnesota has experienced a record number of severe thunderstorms in 2022. In the Minneapolis area five tornadoes touched down measuring up to 85 mph, with one traveling 50 miles. These tornadoes uprooted trees, crashing into buildings and homes causing severe damage.

Western U.S.  

Parts of the western U.S. experienced intense heat waves that brought on power outages, droughts, and wildfires. Upwards of 15,000 acres burned in Oregon earlier this summer causing evacuations and damages to land and homes.

Click below to access our June 2022 Newsletter!

Compass Connection June 2022

Hurricane season officially starts June 1st and runs until the end of November.

The 2022 hurricane season is predicted to be active, and it is time to prepare now. Keep reading to find out how to be prepared for this season as an adjuster.

Prepare as an Adjuster

Make sure all your licenses are current. Licenses that are important to obtain are Texas, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Georgia. Do not miss a deployment opportunity due to a licensing issue. You cannot always rely on emergency licensing which can be limited. Priority is given to those adjusters who have an active license.

Make sure your vehicle maintenance is up to date. Check to see if your oil, fluids, tire, A/C, etc. is up to date and in good condition. Deployments sometimes require long hours in the car. You will spend a considerable amount of time in your vehicle and if it is not working, neither are you. It is smart to enter your deployment with a full tank of gas. During a large catastrophe, fuel can be in short supply.

Create a checklist for your essential tools. Make sure all your tools are accounted for and in good condition before taking off. Tape measures, pitch gauges, shingle gauges, laser measuring devices, cougar paws, flashlight, ladder, camera, charging cords, and anything else you may need on your deployment.

Lastly, it is important to look the part. Be sure your clothing fits, is in good condition and is free of stains and holes. Sometimes this can be overlooked, but it is essential to look professional in the field.

Click below to access our May 2022 Newsletter!

Compass Connection May 2022

Click below to access our April 2022 Newsletter!

Compass Connection April 2022

Hurricane season is quickly approaching. Hurricane season officially begins on June 1, 2022 and runs through November 30, 2022. When a large catastrophe hits, it is important to be as prepared as possible. Below are a few ways to make sure you are ready to deploy within 24 hours of a CAT.

Field Adjusters and Desk Adjusters

Be on our roster. To deploy with Compass Adjusting it is crucial that you are on our roster. Most communications regarding CAT deployments, any daily claims work and important messages from Compass management come through Compass Connect. Once you are on our roster, it is important to keep your profile update and remain active. To remain active in our system, respond to our communications – texts, emails, and voicemails – in a timely manner and provide us with the information we are requesting. If we are requesting information from you, it is because we need it to consider you for future work opportunities. It is also important to keep your profile updated. Be sure to keep us informed when you obtain new licenses, certifications training and skills, by uploading this information to your profile.

Deployments and updates will vary depending on the assignment. When dealing with CAT claims, these communications will come through emails, phone calls and/text messages. Information regarding new stand-by lists for deployments will come through email followed by a phone call or text. For daily work, you will receive emails, and phone calls checking your availability.

If you are not on our roster already, do not forget to sign up. It is crucial to be on our roster, especially before hurricane season is in full swing.

SIGN UP HERE

If you are already on our roster, make sure it is updated with your current location, licenses, resume, etc.

UPDATE HERE

Composing a well-written resume can help a claims adjuster increase their chances of receiving claims and deploying with a firm. It can provide a candidate’s professional experience and skill set, showing hiring managers they have the qualifications they need to succeed in the position.

Your resume should have the following, but is not limited to:

• Name
• Professional summary/ Personal statement
• Employment history
• Skills
• Education
• Licenses

Professional summary / Personal statement

The summary, or profile, of your claims adjuster resume offers you the chance to showcase your professional personality and achievements in complete sentences.

Employment history

The employment history section of your claims adjuster resume is where you can list and describe previous work history / deployment. Starting with your most recent experience, describe your previous experience. The best way to accomplish that is by using each bulleted item to describe your experience.

Skills

In the skills section you can briefly list the skills you obtain that make you a great claims adjuster. You can list both hard skills, or the knowledge and skills you have learned for the job, and soft skills, which are the people and organizational abilities you need to be a productive worker.

Education

Under education you can list and place you obtained an academic degree (University, Adjusting schools, etc.). Also include any classes you have taken that are related to your work.

Licenses

35 states require that claims adjusters be licensed, according to IA Path. If you work in a state that requires a license, make sure you add the details.