Insurers Ache for Qualified Inspectors After US Hurricanes

Insurers Ache for Qualified Inspectors After US Hurricanes
A sign directing insurance company State Farm claims teams in preparation for Hurricane Irma at their Birmingham Operations Center in Birmingham, Alabama, in this handout photo obtained by Reuters September 9, 2017. State Farm/Handout via Reuters
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Insurers are scrambling to find inspectors in Texas and Florida after fierce hurricanes battered the states one after the other, causing tens of billions of dollars’ worth of property damage in less than two weeks.

Although insurers maintain some number of inspectors, known as claims adjusters, across the U.S. year-round, they must redeploy staff from other areas or hire contract workers to fill gaps when catastrophes like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma strike. The speed with which they can do so is critical to residents and business owners awaiting insurance payments.