Remembering Hurricane Ian

By Ted Todd Insurance | Remembering Hurricane Ian

When Hurricane Ian made landfall in Western Cuba on September 27th, 2022, Floridians were cautious but largely composed. Yes, the storm was getting stronger, and Cuba lost power throughout the whole island, but it was only a Category 3 at this point. While a Category 3 is something to pay attention to, it was nothing Florida hadn’t seen before.

The next morning, the mood was very different. Floridians woke up to the news that Ian had intensified into a Category 4 overnight. Not even the Waffle Houses remained open. Now, Florida residents really knew they had a monster quickly advancing off the coast.

Hurricane Ian came roaring through at 3:05 PM on September 28th, 2022, and has left a lasting impact that people are still talking about years later. It resulted in 161 casualties: 5 in Cuba, 150 in Florida, 5 in North Carolina, and even 1 in Virginia. It caused $112 billion in damage, much of it in Florida.

In a rare moment of partisan unity, former President Joe Biden and Ron DeSantis stood side by side as they promised to rebuild Florida. “We’re not leaving until this gets done,” Biden said beside DeSantis.

Major Insurers did not feel the same way. Hurricane Ian caused a mass exodus of major insurance companies from Florida. Six insurers became insolvent in 2022, and many more left the state. Progressive, AAA, and Farmers all significantly decreased underwriting. The ones that remained in Florida were working overtime.

Reflecting on Hurricane Ian, an insurance industry insider told me, “Hurricane Ian devastated the area, and to me, it was both traumatic and rewarding, because we saw the devastation and how it affected people's livelihoods. We went to a lot of people’s homes, and knowing we wrote the correct policy with the right coverage meant we could make those people whole. Although the whole process was not something I would want to go through again, I knew we were going to be able to get those people back to a place where they were going to be okay financially, and that their lives were going to continue on. “

As hurricane season approaches, schedule a call with your insurance agent ahead of time to make sure you are fully covered.