Florida/Alabama Update #5

BOB & CAROL’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURES #5

February 1, 2005

Guess I haven't done an update since December 18 and now it's February. This is still coming to you from Mobile, AL. Doesn't look like we'll be finished up anytime soon.

For those of you who might not have kept track, we are now working Hurricane Ivan in the Mobile, AL / Pensacola, FL Panhandle (guess the "panhandle" is in Florida), after working Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne in the Central Florida (Orlando) area. We're now working "clean-up" which means we're coming behind some very inexperienced (or just plain bad) adjusters (who are no longer here) and the re-inspection requests keep rolling in.

Several of the condos on the beach areas are still closed to residents and many of the condo associations are "gutting" each unit, meaning they're having their contractor remove all the ceilings, walls and flooring (primarily due to the threat of mold). This means it's going to be months before these unit owners can get back in their condo, or rent it to others as that's what many of these condos are for.

Carol has a 12-story condominium which has 72 units in it. I helped her scope it with the association manager and the contractor a week or so ago. It took about 6 hours to walk through the whole place. This association has three policies from three different insurance companies: one for flood, one for wind and one for wind-driven rain.

All in all, though, we still like what we're doing and plan to stick it out a while longer. We do get to "play" once in a great while. We've been to the casinos in Biloxi, MS, a couple of times and usually have Saturday night dinner with our supervisor and a couple of other adjusters. Our main supervisor is from Arizona, another from Montana, and two of our adjuster friends are from Texas.

We did go home for Christmas for a week and had a great time, especially with 4 of our 5 granddaughters!! (Sheri & Greg didn't come back from Chicago this year, so we didn't get to see Lauren.) Got home on Dec. 23 and returned to Mobile on Dec. 30.