The 2004 Atlantic Hurricane Season was one of the busiest andmost destructive in history, according to the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency. By the season's official end, 13 named stormshad come and gone, resulting in 21 federal disaster declarationscovering 13 states and Puerto Rico. The four hurricanes that struckthe state of Florida within a six-week period resulted in insuredproperty losses estimated at more than $20 billion.

In late October, the state of Florida's Department of FinancialServices issued a ruling clarifying homeowner insuranceclaim-handling requirements in the wake of the hurricanes. Thedepartment has set deadlines of Nov. 22 for claims for losses fromHurricanes Charley and Frances and from Tropical Storm Bonnie filedthrough Oct. 21; Dec. 8 for claims from Hurricanes Ivan and Jeannefiled through Nov. 8; and 30 days after the claim was filed for allother hurricane claims.

“The industry will comply with this rule, of course, as it doeswith all regulations,” said William Stander, regional manager forthe Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. “At the sametime, the industry is currently putting forth all availableresources to adjust these millions of hurricane claims as quicklyas humanly possible. You simply can't get blood from a stone.”