Field Experiences of a Female Catastrophe Adjuster.
by Randi Meyer
It was obvious that she was dead. Once you've seen a dead person, there's no doubt in your mind the next time you stumble upon Death's handiwork. And here I was, in a back bedroom of an old house in San Francisco, with two strangers, and a dead woman lying on the bed.
I'm a catastrophe adjuster, the only woman on a team of ten sent into San Francisco after high winds and heavy rain caused more property damage than the local adjusters could handle quickly. Only about 10% of the national pool of catastrophe adjusters, or "cat adjusters," as we're called, are women. Of that 10%, only approximately 3% work without a partner. I work alone. At that moment, I was quite aware of my solitary situation.
(Recovered Blog Post, first posted May 7, 2000)