"Hurricane Sandy"

Even though Post-Tropical storm Sandy was nearly a month ago, we are still feeling the effects. We received hundreds of claims from this storm while simultaneously dealing with our own power issues. We were out of power at the office running on a generator for close to two weeks. Our mail was 3-4 weeks late requiring great flexibility among the carriers to accept late payments, postpone cancellations and policy changes. They also had to rev up their Claims centers and partners to handle the high level of claims in our area. Most of us were without power at our homes. One of staff members had a 60 ft. tree fall on his house destroying his attic and bedroom.

Every experience is not without its lessons. Post-Tropical Storm Sandy taught us the importance of having an emergency plan. It also taught a lot of people how we take our everyday conveniences such as electricity and fuel for our cars for granted. Many neighbors came together to help their fellow neighbors. Sandy brought about a sense of community because everyone was affected in some way or another. It might not have been your home that was destroyed down the shore but maybe your business. Maybe you couldn’t commute to work because of the trains being nonoperational or you couldn’t hear from your loved ones because there telephone poles were knocked down. Sandy definitely had a historic impact on everyone. 

The shore will be rebuilt. Critical infrastructure will be repaired in time. We must still carry on business as usual the best way we can. Jersey Strong.