With Hurricane Irma’s forecast set to barrel down Florida, homeowners were focused on preparing by purchasing water, non-perishable items, and gathering important home documents.

Hurricane Shutters

When it comes to the protection of your home, especially during this season, hurricane shutters are a great and important investment. The cost of shutters can vary depending on the type of shutter you’ve chosen, from hurricane-proof glass, plywood barriers, metal or accordion shutters.

Metal Shutters are the strongest of the bunch, and yet they will not break the budget. These can be easily removed and put back into place with the proper safety equipment.

Accordion Shutters are attached the the exterior of your home and can be closed with ease by just one person. If aesthetics are important to you as much as functionality, these may be the shutters for you as they are available in numerous colors to match just about any home.

Wooden Barriers plywood can conveniently be purchased and cut down to size at your local hardware or lumber supply store. Simply drill holes in the plywood and on the exterior wall of your home to secure the barriers in place.

Impact Resistant Doors & Windows

Impact resistant windows are manufactured to withstand high velocity winds greater than 140 mph, depending on the type. They’ll add the safety, security, sound and solar protection to your home. Impact resistant glass is made up of three layers: glass, PVB plastic and another glass layer.

Whether you’re looking for a front door or a back door, impact resist doors are made up of a strong polymer interior layer placed between two sheets of glass; metal doors are also available. They can protect your home from debris flying at up to 50-feet per second. Additional shutters on the doors are not required and can help reduce your insurance premium (all windows and doors must be protected for a credit).

When it comes to protecting your home, there are many options available which likely leaves you with many questions. Talk to your insurance company today and begin to put your mind at ease and take the necessary steps to protect your home while also lowering your insurance premium by using hurricane shutters, impact resistant doors and windows!

Hurricane Harvey was the first major hurricane that impacted the United States since 2005. Cities and residents of Houston, Corpus Christi and surrounding Texas areas received over 40-inches rain resulting in millions of dollars in damage. The death toll of this powerful category 4 storm was at least 70 people; 1 in Guyana and 69 in the United States. After making landfall, the storm crawled at just 1 mile per hour; over the course of 4 days, Harvey made a second landfall just north of Holiday Beach at a Category 3.

As the Emerald Coast residents watched Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, the thoughts of 2004’s Hurricane Ivan and other major hurricanes came rushing back. We’ve experienced the flooding, damaged homes, boats and cars.. and the hopelessness of ultimately having to pick up the pieces of what is left of a home.

It Is Time to Get Prepared

With Hurricane Harvey hitting Houston, and the imminent threat of Hurricane Irma hitting Florida, it is important to make sure you are prepared.In addition to boarding up windows, collecting sandbags, purchasing water and non-perishable items, it is important to ensure all of your home’s documents are in a secure and safe place. Gather your insurance documents and any other materials that will aid you if you’re in need of filing a claim. In addition to documents on your home, gather personal documents as well for you, your family and your pets, including medical records, veterinary and vaccination records.

The National Hurricane Center began to monitor a tropical wave on August 27, by August 30 a tropical storm developed. The storm quickly intensified and was classified as a category 4 on September 4th, and as of September 5th is now a category 5 hurricane with wind speeds of 175 miles per hour. This powerful storm is currently impacting Puerto Rico, with the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Bahamas next in sight, before heading for the east coast of Florida. Hurricane Irma has already claimed the lives of three people in the Caribbean Islands. As of September 5th, all toll roads have suspended their tolls to allow south Florida residents to evacuate safely.

Todd Claim Service is a leading Florida independent insurance claims adjuster located in Fort Walton Beach. We understand the stress hurricane season can bring, we want you to rest assured we will take care of your client’s needs and aide them in their insurance claims. Give us a call today with any questions you may have.

Lightning strikes can be a scary thing. They can cause power outages, fires, they can fry electrical components, death, and more. Florida has the most lightning strikes per square mile in the United States, averaging at about 24.7 strikes per square mile. That is a lot of strikes! Florida also averages about 1.4 million strikes a year. Within that year, those strikes have burned down houses, split trees and cause the trees to do damage to surrounding property.

From the year 1959 to 2011, there were 463 deaths from lightning strikes just in the state of Florida. That is the most deaths from lightning out of any other state. Florida also had 10 of the top 15 metropolitan areas with the most lightning fatalities per square mile from 1959 to 2006.

Lightning tends to strike the tallest objects within an area. So if you are one of the tallest objects around you while there is a storm brewing above you, is very important for you to become the shortest object and move to a location inside. Although lightning strikes a lot of trees, we see many cases of home damage resulting in fires, damaged appliances, etc.

Lightning can be very dangerous, especially in the state of Florida. Take shelter when there are strikes around you or if there is a storm. If your house does become a victim of the lightning and your houses catches fire, call 911 immediately. Todd Claim Services works closely with insurance companies along the Emerald Coast to evaluate the damage caused by lightning, fires or other storm related damages. Give us a call today to find out more information.

Tornadoes are extremely dangerous and can also be life threatening. Depending on the size or strength of the tornado, they can do a lot of structural damage. There have been tornadoes that have reached a diameter of 2 miles with wind speeds of 300 miles per hour! It is very rare to see a tornado of that magnitude but they can occur. The standard way of measuring a tornado is using the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which ranges from EF-0 to EF-5.

EF-0 tornadoes have wind speeds of approximately 65-85 miles per hours. These types of tornadoes do minor to no damage at all. On June 21, 2017, an EF-0 touched down in Fort Walton Beach and has caused up to $100,000 in damage according to the damage assessment that was completed by the city. Many homeowners have said their damages exceed the city’s estimate on the damage.

EF-1 tornadoes have wind speeds of 86-110 miles per hours. These winds can cause moderate damage. Roofs can be stripped, mobile homes have been overturned or severely damaged. Loss of doors and windows of houses or businesses.

EF-2 tornadoes have winds of 111-135 miles per hour. These can cause considerable damage. Roofs have been reported as completely removed from well structured homes. Mobile homes have been reported as completely destroyed. Large trees have been snapped or uprooted. Also, cars can be lifted up off of the ground.

EF-3 tornadoes have winds of about 136-165 miles per hour. These wind levels can cause severe damage. Entire houses have been destroyed, severe damage to buildings that have been well constructed, trains have been overturned, cars have been lifted and thrown, and trees have been debarked and uprooted.

EF-4 tornadoes have winds of 166-200 miles per hour. These winds will do extreme damage. well structured houses have been completely leveled and cars have been thrown.

EF-5 tornadoes have winds over 200 miles per hour! These winds can cause total destruction to almost anything in it’s path. Steel-reinforced concrete structures have been critically damaged. Reports have shown that vehicles and/or trains cars have been thrown approximately 1 mile.

Tornadoes are known to develop during tropical storms and hurricanes, which is expected to be busier than average. Todd Claim Services works closely with insurance agencies across the Emerald Coast to estimate the damage caused to your home or property.

Florida is notorious for having hurricanes and tropical storms during the summer months, which can cause severe damage to your home. When your home gets destroyed, it is very possible to lose many of valuables that mean a lot to you. That’s why it is extremely important to claim the losses of your home and valuables. Todd Claim Service will work closely with your insurance agency to complete an inspection of your home after a terrible storm.

Categories of Hurricanes

After evolving from a tropical depression, and tropical storm, a hurricane can increase from a category 1 to a category 5. Generally most hurricanes start to form near the eastern coast of Africa and start to make their towards the US.

Category 1 hurricane winds can range anywhere from 74 to 95 mph. This type of wind speed will more than likely cause some minor damage to your property. People and animals are generally safe as long as shelter is sought out and you are well protected. Power outages are also very common during category 1 hurricanes due to the fact that power lines can snap from the wind.

Category 2 hurricane winds can range anywhere from 96 to 110 mph. The damage to your property can be more intense; you can also expect more debris to be present so make sure your animals are not outside. Power outages are also expected but with a category 2, which may last longer than outages during a category 1. The power could be out for just a few days or even longer than a week. Damage to your home is also more likely to occur, especially in apartments and mobile homes.

Category 3 hurricanes have winds from 111 to 130 mph. These winds can cause significant damage to your home and property. Shelter is also very important because this could be deadly for people and animals. It is also very common to not have electricity and water for several days. It is recommended to fill your bathtub full of water before a storm hits just in case water is needed.

Category 4 winds can reach anywhere from 131 to 155 mph. These winds can cause catastrophic damage to your home or property. Evacuation might need to be considered because these winds can destroy well-structured buildings. Power and water may also not be available for weeks or even close a month.

Category 5’s winds can reach from 155 mph or more. Evacuation is highly recommended by the local officials. This powerful storm will destroy almost anything in its path. Power and water will more then likely not be available for several weeks or months.

When these storms come rolling through, they will cause damage. Safety is important, make sure to protect yourself and family members that could be involved. Also, if there is catastrophic damage to your home, do not for get to file a claim with your home insurance agency.

Give our team a call today with any questions or concerns.

With the Hurricane season starting right around the corner (June 1st), it is time to be sure you have your team of adjusters ready to be able to help your customers in their time of need. The Weather Channel just released their Storm Season predictions at the end of April that the 2017 Hurricane season will have the following:

• 12 Named Storms
• 6 Hurricanes
• 2 Major Hurricanes (category 3 or higher)

Their prediction remains slightly higher than that of Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project that is predicting 11 storms, 4 hurricanes with 2 major hurricanes a category 3 or higher. The Weather Channel’s prediction correlates to that of the 30-year average. This is however an increase from 2016 in which 5 named storms impacted the Southeast coast of the United States, most notably Hurricane Matthew.

The 2017 names of the storms are as follows:

Both Colorado State University and the Weather Channel believe that if the development of El Nino later this summer does not happen, this could seriously impact these current predictions. Dr. Todd Crawford, Chief Meteorologist at the Weather Channel stated that the numbers of storms could be significantly higher if El Nino fails to launch.

Of course, these predictions do not mean that any of these storms will have an impact on the US Coast. But we should be prudent in our planning before the storms become a reality. All individuals who live on the coast should be preparing their hurricane kits, reviewing insurance coverages and collecting supplies to give them the peace of mind that they are ready just in case. Insurance Carriers and Agents should be taking this lead time to ensure that they have their customers in the right policy to help them mitigate any loss and recover quickly from an event. This includes making sure that they have a reliable team of All Lines Adjusters waiting at their ready in case of a claim.

The professional Team at Todd Claim Service will be ready to help all Agents and Insurance Carriers get their customers back on their feet quickly and efficiently as possible. With a combined 181 years’ experience among our Claim Adjusters, we have handled all types of both residential and commercial claims. We utilize the latest technology and techniques to get your claim done right the first time. All claims are performed utilizing Xactimate and are well documented with photograph evidence. Come Discover the Todd Claim Service Difference. We have been family owned and operated since 1962.

Photos of an insurance claim of a home’s light column damaged after being hit by a vehicle.

View photos from a most recent insurance adjustment claim for a home damaged by construction next door.

Follow our blog for the latest news on natural disasters along the gulf coast.