Thank you to Public Adjuster Mike Stabile for contributing this update on Hurricane Dorian recovery. It’s been over 3 months since Hurricane Dorian made its unprecedented and devastating landfall in the Bahamas catastrophically damaging Great Abaco, its barrier islands and Grand Bahama. The reports from our Public Insurance Adjusters who have visited the area multiple times is that damage recovery is challenged and moving slowly. Property damage aside, many have lost their lives. In speaking with the residents, the current “official death toll” is nowhere near what they believe the actual number will be, which could be in the thousands. Our thoughts are with the families still searching for their loved ones.

The unimaginable destruction of property and loss of life on Grand Bahama Island and the Marsh Harbor community is heart- wrenching to say the least. I have seen a lot of the destruction and the human misery that follows in the aftermath of hurricanes and other disasters in my 45-year career as an insurance professional and public adjuster, but the videos and now live reporting coming out of the Bahamas is simply unprecedented.

Historically, Labor Day storms have not been kind to Florida and Hurricane Dorian has proven to be no exception.  Although Dorian’s final trajectory and impact on Florida remains uncertain, many State agencies, aerospace companies, businesses and thousands of residents have spent millions of dollars bracing for Dorian and its potential for an unprecedented impact. Our public adjuster staff is not sure if we will be heading into a Cat 5 disaster area to help with insurance claims or fielding calls from minor damage.