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The Public Adjusters has helped victims of every major hurricane in the United States since the early 1990's. We've heard countless times from our clients that dealing with the insurance claim process was more debilitating and difficult than dealing with damage the hurricane cased to their homes and businesses. It is our recommendation that as we enter into the most active part of hurricane season, you take proactive measures which will assure the most seamless insurance claims process in the event your home or business is affected by a hurricane. Here are our recommendations:

1. Call your insurance agent and request a copy of your insurance policy
2. Photograph or video the contents of your home
3. Create a written or typed home inventory of all your personal belongings. This includes: furniture, clothing, electronics and any other valuables.
4. All of these items should be stored in one, waterproof portable container.

In preparation for a hurricane insurance claim, business owners should also have available and accessible the following in ADDITION to the items listed above:

1. Current appraisals or inspections of all all insured buildings or items.
2. Tax returns
3. A vendor list with contact information

If you have questions about being adequately insured please contact The Public Adjusters' corporate office and we will have a licensed public insurance adjuster, specializing in coverage issues, assist you.

For more information on Hurricane Season 2010 and tips on how homeowners, business owners and condominium associations can better prepare for Hurricane Season 2010 or for a hurricane insurance claim please visit:

Our Experts are on Your Side

The Public Adjusters work with many experts to assist us in the settling of hurricane insurance claims. From structural engineers to meteorologists, The Public Adjusters utilize the top experts to help build the best possible claims package on behalf of the clients we serve. These experts have been utilized on hurricane insurance claims that have been underpaid and property claims that have been denied by insurance companies.

After Hurricane Ike, a large insurer in Texas grossly underpaid property insurance claims located in a remote area of Texas based upon the wind versus wave argument. The Public Adjusters / Insurance Claim Consultants Inc. worked in conjunction with a preeminent and notable meteorologist who, based upon his independent findings, provided to us weather reports to dispute the insurance company's findings. These weather reports and the expertise of Mr. Rocco Calaci played an integral role in getting the property insurance claims paid and settled.

Here are Mr. Calaci's thoughts on the 2010 Hurricane Season:

The 2010 hurricane season has begun. As most of you already know, the National Hurricane Center and Dr. William Gray are predicting an "above average "year for hurricane activity. This was similar to last year's forecast for 2009 and we had a very quiet year. This year should be different.

In 2009, the El Nino effect developed in the eastern Pacific, resulting in a very slow year for hurricanes. As of today, April 13, 2010, the eastern Pacific sea temperatures are approximately 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal...a moderate El Nino situation.

The temperatures in the eastern Pacific have been dropping and forecast numerical models agree that by the end of august, sea temperatures will cause a "neutral" zone, thereby having no effect on Atlantic hurricanes. Some models goes as far as predicting an La Nina zone causing Atlantic hurricanes to become stronger. Of course, it is much too early to know exactly what will occur. Remember, numerical models are only as good as the data input.

Normally when an El Nino situation occurs, the northern Gulf Coast and southern Florida should experience wetter than normal conditions. Up to today, the northern Gulf Coast is well behind in rainfall, but south Florida is above monthly averages. El Nino was also suppose to cause warmer than normal conditions along the northern Gulf Coast, yet we had a winter with much colder than normal temperatures. This goes to show, that you can't believe statistics.

As with previous years, I will issue messages that provide layman terms of what the National Hurricane Center is forecasting. I will also provide an update of the upper level weather situation and an outlook of how well the National Hurricane Center is performing.

Here are some points of interest for everyone:

1. Have a hurricane evacuation plan.
2. Review your insurance policy and determine of you have enough insurance coverage. After Hurricane Ike, I found that the majority of folks were under-insured on their properties. Don't expect the insurance companies to pay you more than what you have insured your property for. You may have to pay more for additional coverage, but it's better than not having enough to cover any potential losses.
3. Inventory your belongings on paper and video if possible. Again, my experience shows that the majority of homeowners do not take this step prior to a hurricane hitting their area.
4. Understand your responsibilities as a policy holder. Insurance companies have thousands of customers, so they can't provide the spoon-fed support that you can give to your own belongings and responsibilities. You can't expect the insurance companies to do their part, if you don't do your part.
5. Pay attention to bulletins from the National Hurricane Center and your local authorities. In 2008, the initial thought was Hurricane Ike would strike the East Coast of Florida and it wound up in Galveston Texas.

View Hurricane Ike Help and Information.