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Forecasters say storm season to pick up soon; Florida public adjuster outlines preparation plan for property owners
Citing a report from hurricane researchers that predicts at least 15 named storms in the coming weeks, Florida public adjuster Tutwiler and Associates gives property owners an idea of what they need to know and learn in the event of storm damage.
August 17, 2010 / TAMPA, Fla. /
The lack of tropic storm activity over the last four years has given many property owners throughout the Gulf and Atlantic coasts a false sense of security. But if a recent prediction from the renowned hurricane research team at Colorado State University is correct, that sense of security is about to be shattered, say the Florida public adjusters at Tutwiler and Associates.
William Gray heads up the storm researchers at CSU, and according to a recent Bloomberg News article, Gray says at least 15 named storms will develop before the end of the 2010 hurricane season. The licensed and certified public adjusters at Tutwiler and Associates, with offices throughout Florida and in nine other states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, say the prediction means there is more concern for property owners this storm season than in any other year since 2005 when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the U.S., killing more than 1,800 people and causing more than $91 billion in damage. While forecasts are certainly not guarantees, the property insurance experts at Tutwiler and Associates say these predictions are a great reason for property owners to prepare for the worst.
"Property owners need to sit down with their families or their business colleagues and kind of walk through a dry run of what would happen if one of these storms hit," says Dick Tutwiler, founder and CEO of Tutwiler and Associates. Along with a disaster plan the policyholders need to play out issues with insurance as an example "In addition to an evacuation plan and a hurricane survival kit, policyholders need to play out insurance issues. What are their deductibles? Do they know their duties and responsibilities in the event of a property loss? These are the basics that any property owner can do to help save themselves money when that storm hits."
Tutwiler uses the issue of a property’s location as an example. Policyholders need to find out if their property in a flood zone, and if so, is the property owner covered for a flood loss? This sort of coverage is excluded in almost all property policies, but certain properties can be insured through the National Flood Insurance Program so the Florida public adjuster says property owners need to do their homework to see what their coverage options are.
Because the Gulf and Atlantic coast region has for the most part been spared a direct hit from a named tropical storm since 2005, and because of the recent economic downturn in the United States, the Florida public adjusters at Tutwiler and Associates say a growing number of property owners may have not kept up with their premiums or have reduced their coverages in an effort to save money. In a word, the property insurance experts call that “shortsighted.” They say there is often a limited window of time for property owners to correct their mistake before it’s too late.
"A lot of insurance companies, including the federal government flood insurance program, may have a time period where they cut off underwriting," says Tutwiler. "When a storm is imminent, they’ll sometimes stop even taking applications. The point for property owners here is simple: don’t wait."
The Florida public adjusters at Tutwiler and Associates say the anticipated jet stream shift over the next two weeks that will keep upper-level winds from reaching far enough south to interfere with potential tropical storm development is one of the reasons for the CSU hurricane tropical storm prediction. These same jet stream winds, says Tutwiler, have wreaked havoc in other parts of the world this summer, especially in Russia and Pakistan, and based on expert reports could potentially cause property damage of a similar scope here in the United States because of winds and flooding as a result of a hurricane.
For more information, please visit www.PublicAdjuster.com
CONTACT:
Tutwiler and Associates
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Phone: (800) 321-4488
For more information, please visit www.PublicAdjuster.com
About Tutwiler and Associates: Tutwiler and Associates is a firm of public adjusters licensed in 10 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands specializing in commercial and residential property loss adjusting. With well in excess of $113 million in client success stories over a 27-year history, the Florida public adjusters work exclusively on behalf of policyholders to help them achieve the maximum settlement amounts they can fairly and honestly recover based on their loss and their policy provisions. Professional help from the adjusters at Tutwiler and Associates can help clients obtain a fair recovery under their policy. The Gulf Coast based public adjuster firm is committed to public service and strives to educate its clients about commercial and residential windstorm and hurricane losses, flood damage, fire, smoke and water damage, collapse, hidden decay and mold losses, sinkholes, loss of stock, and business interruption.