Disaster Command Post: Five Agency Preparation Tips

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Modified: October 8, 2024

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Author: FAIA Newsroom

Hurricane Milton has developed into a major hurricane and is expected to make landfall along Florida's west coast later this week. Ahead of the storm, Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in 35 counties (EO24-214), and later amended the order to cover 51 counties (EO24-215). We recognize that many agents along the west coast are preparing for this storm while dealing with claims resulting from Hurricane Helene. FAIA has already begun receiving questions about the additional complexities a second storm in two weeks will bring for their clients, and we will continue to work on finding answers as new questions come up.

At this time, we encourage all agents to make their final preparations for the storm. Here are five tips to help you get prepared.

 
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  1. Post toll-free claims numbers for all your carriers on your website and social media pages. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation provides a list on its website. Remind insureds to always call their company first to help curtail Assignment of Benefits fraud.
  2. Help your customers understand coverages and deductibles by posting and sharing What Insureds Need to Know About Insurance and Hurricanes. Other agent-to-consumer tools, including a Water vs. Wind Damage primer, are available in the Disaster Command Post.
  3. Make sure you have plenty of printed ACORD Notice of Loss forms on hand. Also download and print copies of FAIA's Agent's Memo of Loss form. Use of a standard memo of loss is important during the heavy workload and confusion following a big storm—especially if your agency management system is down.
  4. Download and print Hurricane Coverage at a Glance, a visual guide for what is and is not covered under ISO-2000 HO-3 and ISO-91 HO-3 forms. Ensure staff fully understands hurricane deductibles.
  5. Gather your staff and go over this list of questions to ask before leaving the office. FAIA's catastrophe volunteers also developed a list of items agencies should have on hand before disaster strikes.