PIA Connection Online

For most people, a catastrophic weather event means one thing: survival. Evacuate if needed, protect your family at all costs, and hope your property makes it through safely. But for independent insurance agents, disaster often strikes twice as they also shoulder the responsibility of helping clients navigate loss, confusion, and recovery.

After an event many agents turned to organizations, such as the Small Business Administration, that provide loans to those impacted. PIA National also issued grants through its Disaster Relief Fund designed to help get agents back on their feet. These grants were made possible through a $100,000 donation from Progressive Insurance.

Crises bring a test of resilience unlike any other. Agencies are focused on showing up for their clients, listening, and finding ways to serve, even while facing personal crisis.

Agents scramble as storm projections change

Last September, Hurricane Helene tore through the southeastern United States as a Category 4 storm, bringing catastrophic inland flooding, destructive winds, deadly storm surge, and numerous tornadoes. According to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, the damage topped $78 billion.

Shanna Pohlmann of Premier Insurance Agency in Tallahassee, Florida, knew the dangers of hurricanes well, having previously lived through Hurricane Wilma, a Category 4 storm, in South Florida. But the Florida Panhandle, where she now resides, typically doesn’t face storms of this magnitude.

“When the governor declared a state of emergency and Helene was projected to reach Category 5 strength, I got really nervous,” she said. “People here were preparing—but to a lesser extent. I saw many items in neighbors’ yards that could become dangerous projectiles. Our home is only rated to withstand a Category 3 storm, so the chance of its surviving a Category 4 or 5 storm was low. So, we decided to evacuate.”

An agent based in Belton, South Carolina, also faced the storm’s wrath. “We weren’t as prepared as other areas familiar with these types of events,” she said. “In the end, our home was a total loss. Thankfully, my in-laws had room for us to stay.”

Wildfires leave no time to prepare

Last summer, wildfires in Washington State scorched 308,000 acres. One of those fires forced Tony Williams, owner of Affordable Insurance in Spokane, to evacuate—leaving both his home and agency behind.

“It was a hot summer,” Williams recalled. “Like many of my clients, I had to pack up and leave because the fire was headed our way. It’s incredibly emotional—hearing the fire department come over the loudspeaker and tell you that you have five minutes to go.”

Unlike hurricanes or tornadoes, which often come with hours or days of warning, wildfires can shift rapidly, giving people in their path only minutes to escape. “You scramble to gather the important things—documents, family photos, items with sentimental value—and throw them into the car,” Williams said. “I know insurance can replace the house and the furniture. But it can’t replace the items that carry emotional rather than monetary value.”

The Hidden Costs

Fixing damage and replacing lost or destroyed items are often the first expenses addressed after a disaster, but they’re far from the only ones. And for agencies, there are often many expenses not covered by insurance.  

“In addition to paying for a hotel while the storm passed, we hired someone to help secure our property,” said Pohlmann. “Things like tying down the jungle gym in our backyard aren’t always top of mind, but they’re essential.”

The South Carolina agent added, “Until it happens to you, you don’t realize everything you need immediately. We had to buy clothes. We rented a storage unit for the items we could salvage. And now we’re starting from scratch, saving for a down payment on a new home.”

Even for seasoned agents, experiencing a claim firsthand can be overwhelming. “As agents, we walk clients through the process every day,,” she continued. “But when it’s your own home, it’s really daunting. You go from room to room trying to remember everything that was there. Not only is it a monumental task, but it also takes an emotional toll.”

Williams evacuated to a family member’s home and was fortunate—neither his house nor his agency were damaged by the wildfire. But the event still took a toll on his business.

“We’re a smaller agency, and we built everything from scratch just four years ago,” he explained. “We constantly need to write new business to keep growing. But after a major event like a wildfire, that becomes much harder.”

“Some insurance companies won’t write policies in certain zip codes after a fire,” Williams said. “They impose restrictions or stop offering coverage altogether. Larger agencies with more established books of business might be able to weather a slowdown in new business for a month or two—but we don’t have that kind of cushion.”

Serving clients with no backup

With power outages and poor cell service, getting to work helping clients can be even more difficult.

“We were without power for 10 days, and cell service was really bad,” said the South Carolina agent. “But there was a hotspot nearby, so I went there to check emails and monitor incoming claims. I couldn’t access my client’s files without power, but I was trying to provide any information I could to help them. If a claim came in, I forwarded it to a colleague who had power and internet access so it could be processed.”

“My agency is just me,” said Pohlmann. “Even while I was working to take care of and evacuate my family, I was working with my clients, listening to their needs, and doing my best to address them.”

“My agency has remote access, so as long as I have my laptop and an internet connection, I’m good to go,” said Williams, who evacuated to an area where power and internet service wasn’t disrupted. “I was able to check in on clients affected by the wildfires, answer their questions, and help them begin the claims process if needed.”

The road to recovery

Insurance covers many losses, but some costs—including lost income and out-of-pocket expenses can grow and linger.

“We put many of our needs on a credit card, not knowing how we would pay the bill. But we knew it was important that we do all we could to protect our family and our home,’ shared Pohlmann. “After Helene passed, I needed time to get the home back to normal and the kids back to their routine. I had to stop selling to focus on the recovery effort.”

“My friend saw the PIA Disaster Relief Fund on Progressive’s website and shared it with me,” said the South Carolina agent. “I submitted the application and it wasn’t long after that I received a check. It was really helpful. Every bit helps, and I was so thankful something like this was available.”

“With the grant, I was able to keep my team employed and focused, without the added stress of financial uncertainty,” said Willaims, who found out about the fund from another agency. “We also used some of the funds to reach out to customers struggling to find coverage, letting them know we could help.”

Williams added, “Our agency puts service above self. We’ll help clients find coverage—even if that means referring them to another agency. We may not get the sale, but they’ll remember us and come back for future needs. The grant ensured we could stay true to that mission without sacrificing customer service for financial survival.”

Pohlmann added: “The Disaster Relief Fund was a lifeline. The money helped us repay travel expenses, handyman expenses, and repair damage. Without it, I would have had to carry more debt which isn’t good for the health of my agency. It reminded me that associations like PIA are there for the people on the front lines who are trying to do what is right in very challenging circumstances.”