Is There A Silver Lining With Hurricane Irma?

On September 10−11, 2017, Florida was pounded by Hurricane Irma. It appears that only northwest Florida was spared the wrath of this storm. Landfall occurred near Cudjoe Key in south Florida and for the next 24 hours the storm crawled across the state causing destruction from high winds, rain and storm surge. The resultant flood waters will gradually recede over a period of weeks.

As can be expected, a storm of this magnitude will generate a high volume of claims from residential and commercial policyholders, along with a significant number of fraudulent claims making it imperative that insurers stay vigilant during the claims investigation process.

Prior to Hurricane Irma's arrival, public adjusters, plaintiffs' attorneys, roofing contractors and water restoration companies were gearing up for the storm. Published messages on social media feeds advised policyholders to refuse to take no for an answer − asserting that claim denials were only the beginning of the