Anybody ever worked as independent catastrophe adjuster?

rpsinc · July 14, 2020

Looking for input in any shape or form. Still needing to work but want to consider an occupation that would support some long terming.

sandsys · July 14, 2020

In Minnesota the catastrophes tend to be tornadoes. Which pretty much closes the campgrounds until all the downed trees and destroyed campers can be removed.

Linda

rpsinc · July 14, 2020

15 minutes ago, sandsys said:

In Minnesota the catastrophes tend to be tornadoes. Which pretty much closes the campgrounds until all the downed trees and destroyed campers can be removed.

Linda

Not sure how your input applies to my question?

Darryl&Rita · July 14, 2020

Inlaws do this. Both retired out of a family owned multi-line insurance agency, and used their contacts to get established. They only work western Canada, so may have different regulations than a US adjuster.

Alie&Jim's Carrilite · July 15, 2020

4 hours ago, rpsinc said:

Not sure how your input applies to my question?

Some of the places you get sent may not have options for a RV to stay. I check into this a year ago and it "Seems" hard to get into. There is a school in Colorado you can attend and get certified and they act as a job service for you. Not the cheapest school but the reviews are decent.

sandsys · July 15, 2020

6 hours ago, rpsinc said:

Not sure how your input applies to my question?

Where you do plan to park your rig while working?

Kirk W · July 15, 2020

17 hours ago, rpsinc said:

Looking for input in any shape or form.

A good friend or ours got a job with a FEMA disaster response team after hurricane Katrina and worked events for them for 10+ years. He started out as one of the field people, then worked his way into the office and eventually was a team manager. John (an SKP member & fulltimer) enjoyed the work but he found that those who declined a call out would tend to not be called in the future so he sometimes worked longer tours than he really wanted. At one point he worked 13 months without break. On the other hand, he was well paid and also received travel money. Also, they lived in a motorhome and he was able to get expense money for travel with it and to live in it, rather than other forms of travel and hotels.

Edited July 15, 2020 by Kirk W

Darryl&Rita · July 15, 2020

9 hours ago, sandsys said:

Where you do plan to park your rig while working?

My relatives are fully capable of off-grid living nearly indefinitely. The have also stayed in a neighboring town, if close enough.

1 hour ago, Kirk W said:

On the other hand, he was well paid and also received travel money. Also, they lived in a motorhome and he was able to get expense money for travel with it and to live in it, rather than other forms of travel and hotels.

Same situation as the inlaws.

rpsinc · July 15, 2020

Thanks all. Also wondering if some might have 1st hand experience as to the work itself and the experience surrounding the work.

Given that these are trying and unusual times, I know from experience that these are times that opportunities arise. I am a long time contractor and would like to move to something else. I am not in a position to have SS and a pension to rely on for income. So, looking for other possibilities. Being self employed for a long time, we have done much less vacation travel that we would have preferred and as such work has become the only endeavor we do. No hobbies or vacations to look forward to. Not a healthy way of life but while recognizing it, it is the beginning of change. Last time we had our rig out was to go to the National HDT Rally in '18. In one way, a sad testimonial to lifes habits and how they can consume us/me. TIME FOR ANOTHER WAY!

If the Catastrophic Adjuster work is another in a long line of occupations that I have looked into that require career developing commitments(read a lot a time to develop as a business or job) then that isnt what I am looking for. Just looking for some personal perspective into what others might have experienced.

Darryl&Rita · July 15, 2020

Marcel, they work pretty much as much as they want, sometimes more. Weather is a fickle maiden, and they have said they're afraid of passing up an assignment in case the next one takes too long. Their work history gave them a leg up, with all the contacts the had right out of the gate. They run a Ltd. company for work, and draw their salaries from it. As a beginner, it could take longer to get the contact list going, but depending on the year, there could be more work than you want. The US has a lot more exciting weather, with closer population, than in Canada, so work here is a lot thinner.

sandsys · July 15, 2020

I know of one person who did this as a communications person. He was first on a scene to set up computers, etc. and, being first, had no trouble finding a place to park his rig. I once stayed in an extended stay motel with a bunch of insurance adjusters following a tornado in Minnesota. I'm somewhat concerned that those arriving to do the work of recovery and rebuilding might find it harder to find a place to stay. And I wouldn't want to be the one asked to come to Minnesota if it was an ice storm that caused the damage. But, the work is there if you are willing to follow storm seasons in various parts of the country, for instance hurricane season on the east coast, tornado season in the midwest and mudslide season in California. Most of us try to avoid those seasons.

Linda Sand

rpsinc · July 15, 2020

And dont forget about fires in California. And I think there is growing tsuinami conditions coming.

It might be nice to cross over, back to Canada, where I came from but left in '69. Perhaps another to add to the bucket list.

Bariman · July 19, 2020

This is a good job to work, you are helping people in the time of need. There are adjusting schools that teach you the business and some are located Texas. The best license to have is one from Texas, but if you domicile in a state that requires you to be licensed that will be the one you test for and all others will reciprocate with your state when you apply for their license. I live in Kansas which doesn't need an adjusters license so I went to Texas and got theirs. I then used Texas to get Oklahoma, Florida and Minnesota.

In 2005 I worked a hail storm in Minneapolis area during the same time as Katrina. The company sent me there because it would be 6 weeks before I could get in and do a claim in Canton Mississippi. I stayed at the KOA in Maple Grove, while there a tornado hit the Anoka area and i got to work it when i was released from the hail storm job. Spent 2 months in the area.

I had training classes from Farmers Insurance, Usaa, Nationwide and National Fidelity.

Used my Motorhome to live in and kept separate mileage for business and personal use but i did depreciate the motorhome as a business deduction.

You can make money doing this and travel.

Big Rick · July 19, 2020

I am a CAT adjuster, I have been adjusting claims for nearly 40 years. Most CAT firms will want experience unless there is a major catastrophe and they need bodies, then they will help train.

marvinnielsen · July 19, 2021

No, but i'm planning to learn this and in future will work as independent catastrophe adjuster.

Alie&Jim's Carrilite · July 26, 2021

This still peaks my interest as well. My downfall is that I have no easy way to carry the ladders needed to do roof work. Unless they are using drones for 2nd story work now. With, flooding, fires, hurricanes it might be a good time to reinvestigate this.