The CADO News Page

From the September 30, 2020 Press Release

"Columbia, S.C. – Monday, Governor Henry McMaster signed the South Carolina Private Flood Insurance Act into law (S. 882). This Act aims to foster innovative flood insurance coverage in South Carolina, allowing insurers the ability to test products in the market and offer consumers greater choice for flood insurance coverage. "

From the Press Release.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In response to California’s latest destructive fires, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is requesting that insurance companies help wildfire survivors who are overwhelmed with the task of navigating the claims process by providing up to 100 percent of personal property coverage limits without a detailed inventory to those who suffered a total loss of their home, similar to previous identical requests in past years.

The information below is from the FEMA Daily Ops Briefing issued 10/06 @ 8:30 am

Situation: : Of the over 7 million acres burned, the National Watch Center continues to track 11 active fires that have burned nearly 2 million acres from the West Coast to the Rocky Mountains. Mandatory evacuations continue throughout the impacted regions. No reported unmet needs.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the Department of Financial Services’ emergency adjuster license system has been activated to support homeowners’ and businesses’ efforts to get back on their feet following the impacts of Hurricane Sally in the Florida Panhandle.

From the Monday, September 21, 2020 Press Release

Yellow alert for economic losses. Some damage is possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of GDP of the United States. Past events with this alert level have required a local or regional level response.

August 6, 2020 - Atmospheric and oceanic conditions are primed to fuel storm development in the Atlantic, leading to what could be an “extremely active” season, according to forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. Today, the agency released its annual August update to the Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook, initially issued in May.

From the NOAA Forecast;

"May 21, 2020An above-normal 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is expected, according to forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. The outlook predicts a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and only a 10% chance of a below-normal season. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30.

From the Press Release

...

"Commissioner Lara called on the insurance industry to assist small businesses facing layoffs and lost income due to business closures and government actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Insurance company responses to the data call are due by April 9, 2020, and will help the Department understand the number and scope of commercial business interruption type coverages in effect and the approximate number of policies that exclude viruses such as COVID-19. This data will help inform state policymakers on solutions to protect businesses.

"We expect that the next two weeks will be characterized by above-normal amounts of hurricane activity. "

"August 8, 2019 NOAA forecasters monitoring oceanic and atmospheric patterns say conditions are now more favorable for above-normal hurricane activity since El Nino has now ended. Two named storms have formed so far this year and the peak months of the hurricane season, August through October, are now underway."

...

"After an active Atlantic hurricane season in 2018, AccuWeather forecasters are predicting 2019 to result in a near- to slightly above-normal season with 12 to 14 storms.

Of those storms, five to seven are forecast to become hurricanes and two to four are forecast to become major hurricanes."

...

Photo from the CADO Gallery

The California Department of Insurance has been informed by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CAL-OES) that, due to the recent wildfires, there is a shortage of available lodging in the disaster areas. CAL-OES is requesting that insurance companies, adjusters, and other insurance personnel find lodging outside of the disaster areas. 

Over the years, virtual reality technology has improved so much that insurance companies are starting to experiment with VR headsets like Facebook’s “fb” Oculus Rift.

On October 13, 2017, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) updated the NFIP Adjuster Claims Manual by adding an addendum providing additional guidance on special adjustment issues surrounding perimeter wall sheathing. The addendum expands upon and replaces existing guidance found at Paragraph P of Section VIII of the NFIP Adjuster Claims Manual.

State-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is hiring an outside vendor to scrutinize water-damage repair estimates from contractors, and to directly negotiate lower invoices with those contractors in exchange for a cut of the savings.

SYDNEY (6 July, 2016) – Crawford & Company® has launched Crawford® Drone, designed to significantly improve catastrophe and operational claims management by providing real-time detail.

Darren Trot, Crawford’s national business development manager, said, “Drone technology ideally complements traditional claims assessment practices and gives us access to areas that were previously inaccessible or hazardous.”

(note: we first posted this in December of 2015, but it was deleted in error)

"The next time you get a visit from an insurance adjuster, he or she might be wearing a futuristic headset to help process your claim. Pittsburgh policyholders were part of a pilot program from Erie Insurance (NASDAQ:ERIE) to test the use of off-the-shelf Google Glass as a way to make insurance adjusters’ working lives easier and more efficient. The idea, developed by three Erie Insurance employees, was vetted by the board of directors following a company wide contest. This is the first time Erie’s program has been disclosed beyond the company." 

• 4"  Franklin MO 38.22 -91.17 3-4 INCH HAIL. LARGEST HAIL WAS SPIKED... WITH DIAMETER MEASURED FROM SPIKE-TO-SPIKE. (LSX)
• 3" Roger Mills OK 35.61 -99.58 (OUN)
• 3" Roger Mills OK 35.66 -99.38 (OUN)
• 3" Franklin MO 38.24 -91.17 (LSX)
• 3" Franklin MO 38.24 -91.17 ROOF OF HOUSE HEAVILY DAMAGED. ALSO A CAR WINDSHIELD BROKEN FROM HAIL. (LSX)
• 3"  St. Francois MO 37.78 -90.43 NW SIDE OF FARMINGTON. (LSX)
• 3" Morgan KY 37.97 -83.05 (JKL)
  
  

Phil Klotzbach's presentation from the National Hurricane Conference has been posted. 

Phil Klotzbach
Department of Atmospheric Science
Colorado State University