The winter months often prove to be a chaotic time for property insurance field adjusters. Winter storms can cause tremendous snow and ice damage to properties of all shapes and sizes; and the longer the season goes on, the more damage begins to build up. Depending on the year, adjusters may find themselves scurrying through towns filled with ice dams, damaged roofs, and obliterated drywall.
Any experienced adjuster knows that winter is really just the preparatory season for when damage can really rack up– spring. April showers may be known to bring May flowers, but they also present massive risks to homeowners in areas that remain cool enough to produce hail. While some storms simply treat area residents to tiny balls of ice, hail can get big— and that can be dangerous.
Hail Season is Upon Us
According to NOAA’s Severe Storms Database, there were 6,045 hail storms across the country in 2017. Not only is hail an incredibly common component of spring weather– it’s costly, too. Those storms amounted to $1.8 billion worth of damages to property and crops. If you find these statistics staggering, you aren’t alone. Many people underestimate the levels of catastrophic damage that hail can cause.
If you’ve yet to begin preparing for the transition to the spring season (and the very different kind of natural damage that comes along with it), read on. We’ve included some tips for property insurance field adjusters to leverage in order to escape the coming months unscathed.
Steps to Prepare for Hail Season
Handle Licensing
Provided you’ve already received the necessary licensing to perform adjustment work, take the time to ensure that everything is above-board and up-to-date before hail season gets rolling. You may lose valuable time and income potential if you find out you need to go back to the drawing board once storms have started.
If you’re just getting into the adjusting field, try to start working ahead of time to ensure you receive your license in time for the season. Begin with obtaining your state license and expand your arsenal from there. Pay careful attention to the rules and regulations your state has set regarding licensing; stay up to date with policies and try to work ahead so you aren’t caught in the dust when storms start.
Assemble Your Toolkit
One key way that adjusters track storms and the damage they cause is through the use of personal technology. Your smartphone or tablet can do just about all of the work required to track storms, get you to properties, and address the damage. Figure out which GPS apps are the most reliable so that you don’t get stuck asking for directions as you go from home to home.
Download a high-quality weather reporting app for valuable insight into storm trends and statistics; you can even find applications specifically designed to track hail! Some more specialized apps designed for the industry offer features that allow you to obtain pre- and post-event imagery compiled from multiple sources.
Make sure you’ve got a ladder easily accessible for scoping out roof damage. Get set up with tools for assessing and measuring damage, too– chalk and a tape measure often do the trick.
Get Working!
Nobody ever made a living sitting at home on the couch and waiting for cash to roll in. Don’t go out in active storms and never put yourself or your property in danger, but don’t hesitate to get out into the public and hit the ground running. Every year, hail accounts for billions of dollars in property damages; if you’ve prepared in advance, you should be well-equipped to pound the pavement and start making some headway.