When we think of catastrophic losses like hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding we picture roofs needing to be replaced, windows blown out and entire houses that are flooded.
And thats a pretty accurate picture except its missing one very critical element.
The life long belongings that fill those houses. The part of the house that makes it a home. In the industry we refer to them as contents.
When I was in Maryland working Hurricane Irene I was shocked at how many companies working this CAT loss really had no way of dealing with the contents as they were in the way of getting to the structure so they could start that remediation process. Its a unique situation because you really have to have logistics in place to have the resources to store, pack and move the contents out of the structure in most cases.
In a CAT loss environment that can be a real challenge if you don’t have a plan.
Packing – You need more than just some boxes
Normally when we are packing up contents we inventory everything by the room with photos. In a CAT loss event you may not have that luxury. That being said its still important to have some kind of organization and system in place to track and sort (so you don’t have secondary damages occur) so you don’t create a nightmare situation for yourself and your client.
There is software available to us that we can use to photo inventory items by an entire box instead of by the item as we would in a normal pack-out scenario, that enables us to have a fast yet detailed inventory at our fingertips.
Then we need to bring packing supplies with us as they may not be available in the area that we are working i.e. boxes (small, medium, large), packing paper, shrink wrap, bubble wrap, packing tape, and photo corner guards to name a few.
Having the proper supplies readily available on hand makes quick work of the pack-out process.
Moving The Contents
This part of handling the contents can be very labor intensive unless you have the right equipment.
An appliance dolley, cart dolley, furniture lifting straps and tie downs will allow 3 or 4 people to do the work of 5 or 6. With a dolley one person can move 3 to 4 boxes by themselves at once.
You might also want foam furniture blocks in your arsenal as it may be necessary to leave large pieces inside the structure due to lack of storage space. The foam blocks may be just what you need to stop further damage and enable you to leave the item in the structure.
Storing Contents
You will likely find this the biggest challenge when it comes to handling contents in a CAT environment. If the area has been devastated by a storm or CAT event it is likely that there may not be a safe or adequate storage option readily available.
There is generally three options for storage of contents.
- Portable storage onsite
- Offsite storage facility
- Garage or other unaffected area of the structure
Portable storage onsite more than likely will not be a good option as the area may not be safe or secure and you may not find a local source to supply containers. There is a possibility however that you can have them shipped in.
The option of offsite facility may work if there is a local facility that has not been affected by the CAT event or there is a neighboring town or city that can provide this. This also adds the logistic of needing to have or arrange to have available a moving truck or trailer. Which once again may be in demand and difficult to get unless you bring one with you.
The absolute best option in my opinion is if we can move the contents to another part of the structure that is unaffected. This means less equipment and labor is needed. Also it helps the insured to feel less stressed and anxious about where there “things” are.
Sometimes you may actually find that you are working a CAT event right in your own backyard or hometown so you aren’t loading up trucks and trailers and traveling across the country needing to bring all of your supplies and equipment with you.
But this can be a challenge as well as this might mean that you actually suffered damage along with your community that you are hoping to help.
So its good to have a plan B if you will where you have resources lined up like supplies and equipment that can be shipped to you quickly so you can get up and running again as soon as possible.
Personal belongings are what really matter most to people. Especially when they may have literally just had almost everything they own taken away in an instant.
So remember if you find yourself working a CAT event and needing to handle the contents side of the loss, bring your plan A and plan B along with your A game.
And above all bring compassion, empathy and grace in your arsenal and you will be the hero for any community that you reach out to help.