The effects of Hurricane Irma’s wind and rain damage are still apparent throughout Florida and the Caribbean. Roofing crews and blue tarps are ubiquitous wherever you travel. While the blue roofs are obvious, what may not be so obvious are damages that may have resulted to electrical and mechanical systems in your home or building from the effects of Hurricane Irma's wind and water. Too many policyholders are blindly following a contractors or even their insurance company’s desire to “fix up” the damage and move on to the next claim, putting themselves in danger.

As an example, yesterday I met with a retired doctor and his wife who had damages that clearly exceeded their deductible. The status of their claim? Who knows! They told me an independent adjuster from out of state made a quick 15-minute inspection and left. A follow-up call by the insured to this person resulted in a response "I turned your paperwork into the claims office and am no longer involved."  That was weeks ago and further attempts routed their inquiries to a call center. 

How would you like to bet their claim is marked as one of those closed files being reported by the insurance industry? But here is a real issue and concern I had following my meeting with our now client. They advised me that a lot of the electrical circuits in their home no longer work.

Folks, if your home has been damaged, please pay close attention to any electrical problems you see and call a licensed electrical contractor. This problem could be compounded with all the activities during the upcoming holidays and especially with the cool weather we are now experiencing. The results could be a catastrophic fire. Pay attention to the conditions around your home or commercial building. Damages from hurricanes especially given the high amount of salt in the air from the winds could be corroding parts of your property’s critical electrical and mechanical systems. 

Here is a link to an excellent article published in the Washington Post about fires and fire safety in your home. Take time to read it and make a plan to escape any fire that may occur. Your plan may make a difference between life and death.