No one expected that the vigorous 2004 Atlantic hurricane season would hit Florida repeatedly: four hurricanes and a tropical storm made landfall within in a six-week period.
The first one, Charley, was forecast to land near Tampa Bay, and many people evacuated in anticipation, only to be caught in the middle of it. The Category 4 hurricane came ashore on the Gulf Coast on Aug. 13, 2004, unexpectedly hitting the Punta Gorda area with a top sustained wind speed of 145 miles per hour, causing extensive damage. It was narrow and fast moving, and retained speeds of more than 100 miles per hour as it moved on a northeasterly course through Orlando and Daytona.
Victims of Charley, still reeling with shock from the destruction, were settling in to wait for their insurance adjusters when Hurricane Frances followed three weeks later. This time, the storm came in from the Atlantic Ocean, with the wind and rain effects starting on Sept. 3. Finally, it reached land on Sept. 5 at Sewall's Point near Melbourne, on the east coast of Florida, with a top sustained wind speed of 105 miles per hour.
Although classed as only Category 2, Frances was a gigantic storm, approximately 400 miles across and slow-moving. The storm took three days, crawling across the central Florida area once again and covering much of the state with rain and high winds, thus delaying clean-up efforts.
For a couple of days, we at Marriott ExecuStay-Orlando ran the office off a generator, with extension cords all over the office connecting computers, lights, and a few fans. Phone calls had to be made on cellular phones. Although inconvenient, it was a diversion from the reality of the moment. All we could do was make the most of it and wait for the storm to finally pass.
Backup Arrives
The insurance adjusters began arriving immediately after the first storm. As activity in the Atlantic continued to foment, they knew that they would be here for a while and they began to move out of hotel rooms and seek more long-term accommodations.
Soon, they had first-hand experiences with some of the problems facing Florida residents. Several of the apartment buildings, occupied by both displaced Floridians and insurance adjusters, were without electricity for extended periods of time. Even months after the storms had passed, several people had to be moved to different apartments due to prolonged roof damage.
Coming up through the Gulf of Mexico with more punch that Frances, Category 3 Ivan spawned tornadoes even before the eye reached land. With a top sustained wind speed at landfall of 130 miles per hour, it came ashore at Gulf Shores, Ala., on Sept. 16. Although Florida did not sustain a direct hit, the panhandle, an area previously spared, suffered much damage. The path of the storm was wide, drenching most of the state once again, and causing flooding as far north as West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It then broke apart, and a small swirl of low pressure drifted south to backtrack across Florida as a tropical storm before returning to the Gulf of Mexico.
By this time, the availability of furnished corporate apartments and hotel rooms was becoming scarce, and waiting lists were growing. Blue tarps on roofs were the norm, and piles of sawn-up trees were stacked at the curbs in hopes that city governments would be able to remove them eventually. Apartments were being readied daily as they became available for rent. Single units were requested rarely; rather we were setting up multiple units at a time.
Adjusters who were in hotels awaiting corporate apartments handed off their hotel rooms to colleagues when their apartments became available. Many times when we made contact with them on their cellular phones, they would be up on roofs assessing damage or driving to their next clients.
The final hurricane of the 2004 season was Jeanne, a Category 3 hurricane that reached landfall on Sept. 25, on Hutchinson Island in southern Florida, with a top sustained wind speed of 120 miles per hour. It moved almost twice as quickly as Frances, causing much devastation in Haiti before reaching Florida. This time, most of the damage was to the southeastern coast, but again it moved through central Florida. When all was said and done, most of Florida was affected by at least one of the storms.
Within six weeks, total insured losses for the four hurricanes were estimated at $28 to $30 billion dollars.
Seeking Sanctuary
Temporary housing providers throughout Florida were an integral part of the clean-up and healing process. They provided homes away from home for displaced families, insurance adjusters, and Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives. Some adjusters began with accommodations in one area of Florida, only to move to other areas to continue their work in the months ahead. Out of necessity, some of the apartments became their satellite offices, as well as their homes.
For many families displaced from their residences, being close to home, work, and schools was the most important factor. The majority of corporate apartments are located in suburban areas, affording insureds the opportunity to see repairs materialize as fast as the crews could work, given the large shortages in building materials.
Many adjusters, from as far away as California, Utah, and Texas, experienced Florida living firsthand. One, who had been working in the Orlando area as a catastrophe claim adjuster for almost a year, was pleased to locate a month-to-month lease. "It allowed me to feel like I had a home away from home," said Alfred S. of Allstate. "I was fortunate to have a garage with my apartment and, after much searching, found the perfect little convertible at the beginning of June."
Because that June turned out to be the wettest on record, with 25 rain days, Alfred didn't have much chance to enjoy his new car. "My co-workers were teasing me that when I sold the car I would be asked how it ran and I would have to say 'I don't know, I never drove it.' In the beginning of July, my company moved me for another event, and I only drove the car for 15 miles one night between rain storms."
Others contended with interesting situations consistent with living in Florida. A resident called one morning to say that, after leaving the windows of the apartment open to enjoy the mild fall weather, he had found a squirrel perched on top of the desk in the home office. Although it was finally shooed out, everyone was startled, including the squirrel, which destroyed the window blinds as it fled the building. Another called to say that she could not believe that she had seen a scorpion in the apartment. Her main concern was not for herself, but for her two-pound Maltese. Pest control responded to make sure that the dog would be fine.
Some adjusters were lucky enough to have their families with them. More than one husband/wife team responded and the adult children of several adjusters joined them to also work the catastrophes. Many, however, found themselves without their spouses and families. Jerry B., also with Allstate, mentioned that one result of his being away from home so long was "my wife found out that I can iron."
We, at Marriott ExecuStay, considered it a pleasure to work with these dedicated men and women who put in long hours to serve as many people as possible each and every day. Many of them were still here over the Christmas holidays.
It has been almost a year since the first hurricane of the 2004 season, and we continue to house displaced Floridians, FEMA employees, and insurance adjusters. Although we hope to never have another hurricane season like 2004, we stand ready to accommodate both the adjusters of the insurance companies and their insureds with the least amount of stress possible.
Linda Fleming is general manager and Tracey Janelle is an account executive with Marriott ExecuStay-Orlando.
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