Failed dams in Michigan. Stronger – and more frequent – hurricanes predictioned for 2020. An early named storm off the Carolina coast.
 

The headlines abound with reminders that hurricane season and spring and summer flooding are coming, coronavirus or not. Despite today’s incredibly uncertain times– and the accompanying fear and anxiety – it’s vitally important for homeowners to comprehensively think about what is most important to them and take definitive steps to protect their lives and homes from the unexpected. 
 

This is where agents come in. They can help clients with this thought process and can help them put in place the financial protections that defend against a variety of threats, including an unexpected flooding event.
 

But it’s no secret that hurricane and disaster response will be quite different than years past. Nearly every aspect of response and recovery must be thought about differently. For example, how does a community quickly come together to lay sandbags when social distancing recommendations are in effect? How can a claims professional safely enter a structure that has flooded to adjust the loss? Where will displaced people take shelter?

The good news is that these challenges aren’t insurmountable. I have two specific tips for agents based off of what our team at Aon Edge has seen be successful:

1. Keep your communication fresh, varied, and crisp. Don’t use a single medium to communicate. Instead explore alternate channels to deliver your message and reach more people. Additionally, one message won’t do it. You have to push the message continually.
2. Embrace new tech and new perspectives. Evaluate new applications that allow for risk visualization and risk assessment, such as digitized topography or stochastic models.  

Agents – you help your clients protect what they value most in this world. I challenge you this hurricane season to push yourself to be creative when considering how to best respond to your customers’ needs. For flood insurance to work in today’s world, we must think differently and work together.