60 seconds with...Ezra Bud Trice

We asked him what it takes to be a loss adjuster when the wind blows.

What are the main challenges of the job following a hurricane?
Beyond delivering the proper quantity of adjusters, appropriate staff allocation is critical to our response. Territory, severity, insurer and an individual adjuster’s expertise level are just a few considerations to take into account. In addition, communication up and down the line must be maintained to ensure that all parties understand the others’ expectations and the obstacles each faces. Of course, multiple hurricane landfalls add an entirely new dimension and complexity. We never know when this might occur, but we must include it in our plans.

What steps can people and businesses take to protect themselves against loss?
Properly maintained property that takes into account the hazards common to a location is essential. Too often, we see damage that might have been avoided with simple steps such as ensuring that doors and windows are properly sealed. The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) has some in-depth material that might be helpful at www.disastersafety.org.

After the storm, loss mitigation should be the focus. Temporary roof repairs and interior drying are the most commonly required steps. A property owner does not need to wait for contact from an adjuster to make repairs that are needed immediately.

And to help you and make the process more efficient?
In the end, the adjuster’s job is to document the loss to the insurer’s satisfaction. Insureds can speed the adjuster’s progress by assisting with this documentation. Often, pre-loss photographs are helpful. If mitigation efforts have been made, post-loss photographs can demonstrate their necessity and serve to increase the adjuster’s confidence that the steps taken were warranted. Detailing personal property or business inventory losses helps the adjuster move much more quickly. Any expense records associated with those details should also be organized so that the adjuster can easily refer to them.

What advances do you see insurers making in claims payment procedures?
The need to follow the basic principles of loss adjustment will not, and should not, ever go away.  That said, the market as a whole seems to have acknowledged that a catastrophic environment drives a need to liberalise some of the procedural steps taken in routine claims. Simple things like increased loss fund amounts for coverholders have helped speed the process and reduced field-level problems. Smaller losses can be streamlined through waiver of a formal Proof of Loss or by delegating settlement authority to the adjuster so claims can be paid on the spot.

Is Crawford prepared for the 2010 hurricane season?
As is our regular practice, we held a mock hurricane drill to test readiness at all levels within the company. Our internal corporate support unit, has been updated. We’ve retooled our behind-the-scenes administrative workflows to accommodate technology shifts. But perhaps the greatest undertaking was conducting adjuster meetings in Atlanta and Dallas. We held workshops on a number of subjects including commercial loss adjusting (basic and advanced), estimating, flood and earthquake certifications (required in the US) and several client-specific overviews. We added a recruitment element to these events by opening them to licensed independent adjusters who had never worked for us.

What’s the most salutary real life story you have about adjusting following a recent hurricane?
One of our core adjusters walked into our Hurricane Katrina (2005) induction center in Mobile, Alabama, with her two young children. She’d lived in New Orleans and had evacuated the city with only what she could fit in her car. Asked why she was reporting for duty, she replied, “I’ve lost everything except my sanity. If I don’t start work soon, I’ll lose it, too. I need a few hours to find a place for the kids, but after that, the thing I need most is to start handling losses.” With our stress levels off the chart, it was one of the most poignant moments I’ve ever experienced.

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