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In The News

The need for qualified Independent Insurance Adjusters grows with every calamity, be it from fire, flood, lightning, wind, hail, accident, or other misfortune.

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'Historic' storm continues to pound Southeast
September 21, 2009

The stalled tropical rain system has triggered flood warnings in five states, washed out hundreds of roads and bridges, and damaged homes. "People's basements are flooded, crawl spaces are flooded. We haven't had this amount of rain in years."

LA-area blaze size doubles, threatens 12,000 homes
August 31, 2009

AP - A massive fire in the Angeles National Forest nearly doubled in size overnight, threatening 12,000 homes Monday in a 20-mile-long swath of flame and smoke and surging toward a mountaintop broadcasting complex and historic observatory.

Tornado Cleanup Continues
August 31, 2009

Most of the debris had been cleared away, but pockets of visible damage remained 10 days later along the line of the EF2 tornado that whipped through town Aug. 19. And while many residents have high praise for agencies and volunteers who helped speed up the cleanup, they pointed to critical work that still needs to be done.

More than 30K ordered to flee Santa Barbara fire
May 8, 2009

AP - More than 30,000 people have been ordered to flee a wildfire that burned a five-mile-long front above wealthy coastal communities by Friday, after another hot, windy night in which the fire chief said "all hell broke loose."

Storm damages homes, brings flood threat to South (AP)
May 6, 2009

AP - A storm front with severe weather settled across the South on Wednesday with heavy rains, a possible tornado in Alabama and damage to about 100 homes throughout the region.

Thousands Evacuated for Myrtle Beach Fire
April 23, 2009

Forty homes have been destroyed, another 100 damaged and 15,000 acres have been burned by a fast-moving wildfire that started north of Conway Wednesday afternoon and burned into North Myrtle Beach Thursday morning.

Hurricane-force winds fan wildfires in Southwest
April 9, 2009

CNN - Numerous wildfires were roaring Thursday through parts of Oklahoma and Texas, searing whole neighborhoods, including some in Oklahoma City, as hurricane-force winds continued to kick the flames even higher.

NDakota fights levee erosion amid record floods
March 30, 2009

AFP - North Dakota dug in Monday for a lengthy fight against the erosion of its levees, as flood levels were forecast to remain near record highs and an approaching snow storm threatened to complicate the work of emergency teams.

Wildfire Destroys 25 Central Texas Homes
March 2, 2009

A wildfire fueled by grass, brush and trees has destroyed at least 25 homes and three businesses in Central Texas. The fire was about 70 percent contained by Sunday afternoon, Texas Forest Service spokesman Lewis Kearney said.

Cost of Dallas ice storm tough to calculate
January 29, 2009

Weather is unpredictable in North Texas, but there are a few things you can depend on: lightning storms in the spring, 100-degree days in summer, and at least one ice storm each winter.

Ice storm grips major portions of U.S. (UPI)
January 27, 2009

A growing ice storm Tuesday caused massive power outages and car accidents from Northern Texas to Virginia, weather experts said.

Kansas tops all states in 2008 tornadoes (UPI)
January 18, 2009

Kansas suffered through 187 tornadoes in 2008, making the state the top tornado locale in the United States for a second straight year, a meteorologist says.

Active 2009 Atlantic hurricane season predicted (Reuters)
December 23, 2008

Reuters - Another forecaster predicted an active 2009 Atlantic hurricane season on Tuesday, six months ahead of the tropical cyclone period that begins on June 1.

Violent storms damage dozens of homes across South (AP)
December 10, 2008

AP - A night of unseasonably warm weather generated torrential rains and tornadoes that damaged two schools and dozens of homes in the South, where snow began to fall in some areas Wednesday after temperatures dropped.

Calif. wildfire described as 'terrifying inferno'
November 15, 2008

Firefighters struggled Friday against an out-of-control wildfire that destroyed at least 100 homes in a wealthy, celebrity-studded enclave, flaring up so fast that it caught some terrified residents behind the automatic gates of their mansions.

Many Texans calling tents home 2 months after Ike (AP)
November 14, 2008

AP - Truong Van Cao and two other fishermen share a cramped, muddy tent amid the wreckage of homes, including his own, destroyed when Hurricane Ike stormed across this tiny Southeast Texas town.

Wind-whipped L.A. wildfire burns mobile homes (AP)
October 13, 2008

Intense Santa Ana winds swept into Southern California Monday morning and whipped up a 3,700-acre wildfire, burning mobile homes and industrial buildings and forcing the evacuation of eight patients from a nearby hospital.

2008 tornado season could blow away records (USA Today)
October 13, 2008

The 2008 tornado season is on track to set a record for the number of tornadoes in the USA, according to National Weather Service data.

Hurricane Ike produces 76,000 damage claims so far (AP)
October 9, 2008

AP - More than 76,000 damage claims from Hurricane Ike have been filed with the Texas-backed windstorm insurance association, which expects to pay billions of dollars to policy holders for losses.

Photo Galleries of Hurricane Ike Damage
September/October, 2008

Adjusters on standby: Insurance freelancers prepared for disaster (Amarillo.com)
September 13, 2008

Barry Schoch's cell phone comes to life with "When the Saints Go Marching In" - a reminder of the nine months he spent assessing damage from Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi. These days, the independent insurance adjuster is waiting for the jaunty ring tone to send him packing again. After a couple of slow hurricane seasons, he and thousands of other adjusters are set to head to U.S. coastlines and cities struck by heavy winds and strong rains.

Ike blasts Texas coast, floods homes, cuts power (AP)
September 13, 2008

AP - Howling ashore with 110 mph winds, Hurricane Ike ravaged the Texas coast Saturday, flooding thousands of homes and businesses, shattering windows in Houston's skyscrapers and knocking out power to millions of people.

FEMA: Gustav to be a catastrophic storm (AP)
September 1, 2008

AP - Cartons of food, water, blankets and other supplies to sustain 1 million people for three days were ready to be distributed Monday as FEMA anxiously eyed Louisiana levees to gauge how much damage Hurricane Gustav would wreak.

Storm moves toward second Florida strike (Reuters)
August 18, 2008

Reuters - Tropical Storm Fay swept over the Florida Keys with heavy rain and 60 mph winds and churned toward the Florida mainland on Monday after killing more than 50 people in the Caribbean.

6 homes destroyed in Reno brush fire; $2M damage
August 18, 2008

Fire officials in Reno say a fast-moving brush fire has destroyed six homes on Ridgecrest Drive near Clear Acre Lane and Highway 395. Fire spokesman Steve Frady confirms that six homes are a total loss and a seventh suffered serious damage in the Monday blaze.

California 'dodges bullet' as 5.4 earthquake rocks region (AFP)
July 29, 2008

AFP - A 5.4 magnitude earthquake shook Southern California on Tuesday, spooking millions from Los Angeles to San Diego in a juddering reminder of the region's vulnerability to seismic shocks.

South Texas gets first look at Dolly's damage (AP)
July 23, 2008

AP - Residents and recovery teams began fanning out across south Texas Thursday and cars crept along roads with darkened stoplights as the region got its first look at the destruction left by Hurricane Dolly.

Schuyler shellacked by hail: 'Millions' in damage after five-minute pounding
July 21, 2008

Golf ball-size hail took care of the golf tournament scheduled for Sunday morning in Schuyler, Neb., but that was the least of the worries for residents of that city.

Mudslide, floods in SoCal; more could be ahead (AP)
July 14, 2008

AP - More heavy rain was forecast Monday in Southern California, where crews were still clearing debris from weekend flooding and a mudslide that damaged more than 50 homes and blocked a highway.

Northern California Blaze Destroys 50 Structures
July 9, 2008

A wildfire in northern California has destroyed 50 structures as thousands were forced from their homes.

2 Months Later, Suffolk Rebuilds From Tornado (FOX 5 Washington D.C.)
July 6, 2008

Two months after a tornado ripped through Suffolk, some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods are rebuilding. Contractors are installing siding and replacing roofs on homes damaged by the April 28 storm...

Wildfire Destroys Homes, Doubles In Size (NBC 4 Los Angeles)
June 13, 2008

A wildfire in northern California destroys about 100 homes and forces evacuations as it grows.

Crops, roads taking hit in area (Hays Daily News)
June 13, 2008

Crop insurance adjusters and FEMA damage assessment teams are a welcome sight in much of northwest Kansas. But both are in short supply.

Powerful storms swamp U.S. Midwest, spawn tornadoes (Reuters)
June 7, 2008

Reuters - Heavy rains caused flooding that forced hundreds of evacuations in Indiana, and a tornado raked Chicago's suburbs on Saturday as violent thunderstorms pummeled the already soggy U.S. heartland, authorities said.

Forecaster expects busy Atlantic hurricane season (Reuters)
June 3, 2008

Reuters - The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season will likely be a busy one with 15 tropical storms, of which eight will turn into hurricanes, the noted Colorado State University forecasting team said on Tuesday.

800-acre wildfire takes homes
May 31, 2008

Authorities say a wildfire east of Naples has consumed 800 acres and destroyed or damaged a number of homes.

Iowa Town Left Devastated by Tornado
May 27, 2008

Half of this small town lay in ruins or showed heavy damage Monday, a day after a deadly tornado ripped through a stretch of northern Iowa.

Roof Repairs Continue After Hail Storm
May 19, 2008

It didn't get that much attention at the time, but homeowners in south Tulsa, Bixby, and Broken Arrow are still making repairs after last month's hailstorm.

Austin hail storm damages estimated at $50 million
May 17, 2008

Damage estimates from a hail storm that tore across the Austin area last week now total $50 million, with as many as 20,000 claims being filed, according to the Insurance Council of Texas.

Residents repairing dings and dents from hail
May 12, 2008

CONCORD, N.C. -- Residents in Concord are spending time today repairing the damage left behind by nasty weather over the weekend. Hail stones damaged roofs of homes and lefts dents and dings in cars parked outside.

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