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Posted By Alex_Chernov on 22 Aug 2011 07:37 PM
I went to a fortune teller last night. For 5 dollars she told me its gonna be NC.

I paid her $7.50 and she told me the truth...she really doesn't know . However, she will be 100% certain in a week or so. 

 I went to palm reader this time, she said she is going to have fish this friday, but the stove will be dirty. 

Posted By Jud G. on 23 Aug 2011 02:55 PM

 ...I think it will be east.

Well, knowing how all forecasts seem to be different depending on which channel but I have a scribe to Stormpulse(Something you should all check out although you all probably have) and they have 6 different models heading west with 2 spaghetti models heading east and hugging the shoreline, they're 3 models that indicate a double hit with NC hit with a CAT 4 and then a second landfall into Jersey and NYC with a CAT 1.

Whilst a CAT 1 is not a big deal for the south or even the southeast, a CAT 1 into NYC could be an interesting situation  
 

Posted By Jud G. on 22 Aug 2011 12:19 PM

I don't know, its looking like last year's Hurricane Earl. This storm and forecast keep getting stronger. Subsequently, its chances of hitting conus are getting slimmer and slimmer...

 

I hear what you are saying Jud, but if I remember correctly Earl started out more to the north and tracked west before curving away. Irene seems to far west and south of Earl's track last year

Posted By Tex Walker on 22 Aug 2011 07:53 PM
Did I strike a nerve somewhere ? Or is it that everyone is on pins and needles watching Irene hoping and prayer she doesn't get swept out to sea... 3 years is along time to sit and wait for the cash cow to hit ! I shouldn't even say that since the carriers most likely hand you only 20-30 claims out of the gate.

And Mr. Cat X-Man, who said I was busy and who did I call out ? The Weather Channel comment was meerly a joke to get a rise out of guys like you :)

Tex, you probably got me there with the pins and needles thing. I have just started to smack the dog around a bit, hopefully it stops there. It should as he is a big friggen' dog !!
 

Posted By Alex_Chernov on 20 Aug 2011 08:32 PM
This one could be for real.

Alex, are you still working staff or independent? Are you USAA certified?

Is anyone here USAA certified??

 

 

 

I hear what you are saying Jud, but if I remember correctly Earl started out more to the north and tracked west before curving away. Irene seems to far west and south of Earl's track last year

Like snowflakes, no two storms are alike.  Yet, we have Irene that is similar (like) Earl in that it created significant attention from the standpoint of disaster prep, nearly missed the Carolinas, and ended up like a tree in a forest with no one around.

 I'm USAA certified.  Until they write big commercial, I won't be around when big ones hit.

Posted By stormcrow on 24 Aug 2011 12:19 AM
Getting very interesting. NC to Hampton Roads to LI (or maybr NYC) then New England then Nova Scotia. Pressure droping as it moves away from Hati. Surface winds have yet to catch up with flight level winds. There were 3 planes in the storm earlier. It will get stronger, it is likely to make land fallS. Get the vehicle serviced, packed and ready to load, and do not p** your pants in excitement yet. It could still miss the CONUS. Who has good contacts in Canada.

Well Irene is beginning to become a fish storm, I think mother nature is just toying with us for her own sadistic amusement.

 and a slight shift to the west.

60 miles west day 4 (margin of error 200 miles) and you have NYC worst nightmare with a large cat 2 pushing the ocean up the Hudson (funneling) with unbelievable storm surge. 2 palnes in now the next few model runs will be very interesting.

This is not a fish storm, just ask the Bahamas.

Chuck. please enlighten us. I have already stated over on FB that I wouldnt go to NYC, but I am sure some people will jump at the chance to go there. Any suggestions for those folks?

I've been to NYC and Long Island to work claims a few times now. There's nothing else like it. Everything's expensive and most carriers have a percentage upgrade on their fee schedules to take care of the expenses.   The price databases for MSB and Xact both account for higher costs, so your fee bill can make a reciprocal adjustment there.  This adjustment alone is fair, so I would still seek to work on a fee schedule that allows an upcharge on your expenses.  If they don't, then move on.  Everything's expensive.  If you stay in New Jersey, be prepared to pay eight dollar tolls daily in addition to a few others beyond it depending on where you go. Just don't panic when you see your expenses rise.

As for claims & scheduling, it will usually be pretty easy to have them very close together because people live all over each other up there.

If you haven't been good with your finances or don't have a big limit on your credit card, then you're screwed. I've heard of people asking for advances from vendors before. This is unprofessional and should be done as a last resort.

Don't talk on your cell phone while driving; get a blue tooth or wireless device. Tickets are over $200 for that. Parking tickets start at $125 and go up from there. Finding parking places can get really tricky, so make sure you pay attention to signs that explain parking restrictions. Examples for parking restrictions are for Buses, street sweepers. They do not always look like "No Parking" signs. Be especially attentive to those signs located behind trees.

Add more lead time for scheduling your appointments to account for traffic, finding a parking spot, and more traffic. Get used to communicating with your horn and learn proper horn etiquette. In Alabama, I use my horn very seldom, but up there it's like a second language. Yet, some places it is illegal to honk your horn, like leaving through the Holland Tunnel.

One lane in the south is actually two (2) lanes in NYC, so don't be afraid when someone cuts you off or drives right next to you. As for getting cut off, you didn't really get cut off so don't get mad. That's just the way people drive up there. Much, much different pace. Once you adjust, it can be a lot of fun; seriously.

Be short and to the point when discussing with your customers. Try to neutralize your accent as much as you can if you have a southern drawl. They will consider you a stupid hick regardless of your professionalism and timeliness. In my experience, the people up North are very nice and understanding when it comes to scheduling issues. Should they discover that you are rushing through your claims and are showing a lack of empathy after they are trying to grasp that you can't see them for a month, they'll rip you. Yet, people would do that anywhere would they?

I Love NY!

 Good point.  I was thinking of Ivan.  It was making a bee-line towards New Orleans, but at the last minute made a major shift and, boom, the eye hit Mobile with the east wall pulverizing Pensacola.

A NE hit as a Cat 2 storm would have to be something close to Katrina.  You've got four times many people and at least four times as much money up there.