The difference between chaos
and confidence is often decided
weeks or months before an event
By Mike Skiados
A hurricane watch is issued. It’s three days out. The cone points your way. Phones start ringing: clients scrambling to confirm flood coverage, wind deductibles, and make last-minute changes. Most agents know that addressing questions and decisions like these once the storm is imminent is too late. Landfall may cause the damage, but preparation determines the outcome. The difference between chaos and confidence is often decided weeks or months earlier.
Many of today’s independent agencies don’t treat storm prep as a seasonal exercise. They use the quiet stretches—when no threat is on the radar—to get clients and their own operations ready. And that preparation has never mattered more. Storms are intensifying, losses are rising, and catastrophe no longer follows a neat calendar. In 2025, the continental U.S. avoided a hurricane landfall, yet still recorded roughly $89 billion in catastrophic losses, driven by severe convective storms, tornadoes, flooding, and wildfires.
Smart agencies assume disruption is inevitable and plan accordingly. They know that severe weather can happen any time. The periods of calm are when they can help clients understand their exposures, close coverage gaps, and make informed decisions before options disappear. It’s also when they review their own operations to ensure that they can remain a steady resource when customers need them most.
From policy review to claims readiness
Most clients don’t think about insurance until something breaks. High-performing agencies don’t wait for that moment. They know that discovering a coverage gap during a claim doesn’t just delay recovery, it can permanently damage trust.
Many agencies have moved beyond transactional renewals and made proactive policy reviews a standard operating rhythm. These conversations go deeper than limits and premiums. They surface changes that quietly reshape risk: renovations, roof upgrades, new outbuildings, high-value purchases, expanded inventory, new equipment, or shifts in business operations. Even routine home improvements can materially change replacement costs.
Agents use proactive reviews to sanity-check wind and hail endorsements, additional living expense limits, equipment breakdown coverage, and business interruption terms before a carrier or adjuster ever enters the picture.
Flood insurance is another critical and often misunderstood area. Many policyholders assume flood losses are only a concern for coastal properties or FEMA-designated flood zones. In reality, severe convective storms and tornadoes frequently bring intense rainfall and flash flooding far inland, and standard property policies exclude flood damage. Discussing flood coverage proactively, even when it’s not required, can prevent one of the most common and costly surprises at claim time.
Claims readiness doesn’t stop at the coverage review. Many agents coach clients to document property with pre-loss photos and videos, maintain up-to-date inventories, and understand basic mitigation steps.
Technology is also helping. Insurers’ mobile apps that support photo- and video-based claim submissions can dramatically speed resolution. When clients are familiar with these tools in advance, claims can be reported faster and resolved more efficiently.
Keeping the agency open
Independent agencies face a unique challenge during catastrophes: They are serving clients in the same communities where they live. When staff, offices, or systems are disrupted, demand spikes at the exact moment capacity is threatened. Many agencies have responded by ensuring that internal readiness is a mission-critical effort.
Agencies that perform well in real events don’t guess who’s doing what. Roles are preassigned … .
Artificial intelligence is increasingly part of the (disaster) preparedness stack.
It starts with a disaster plan that’s actually usable. That means it’s not locked away in a binder and it’s more than a checklist. It’s a detailed playbook. It should reflect regional realities—wind and hail, tornadoes, flood, wildfires, winter storms—and spell out what happens when each scenario unfolds.
Agencies that perform well in real events don’t guess who’s doing what. Roles are preassigned: client triage, carrier coordination, internal operations, outbound communication. The plan defines how the agency operates if the office is inaccessible, power is out, or internet is unreliable and what minimum service level clients can expect no matter what.
The right tools matter, too. Cloud systems and remote workflows are great, but storms can break norms. There may be prolonged power outages, damaged infrastructure, and limited cellular bandwidth. Redundancy is key.
Text messaging is often the fastest way to communicate during a disruption, and many agencies now treat it as essential infrastructure. That means texts are captured and archived within the agency management system or VoIP platform to avoid E&O exposure.
Connectivity planning is equally important. Agencies that have learned the hard way now diversify carriers, test mobile hotspots, and avoid single points of failure.
Client communication is equally deliberate. Top-performing agencies
don’t improvise messaging in the middle of a crisis. They activate a storm mode homepage or banner that centralizes office status, carrier claim contacts, immediate post-loss guidance, and fraud warnings. Social channels reinforce the same message, reducing inbound chaos and setting expectations.
Internally, collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack can function as a virtual command center when staff are dispersed. These platforms allow teams to share real-time updates, assign tasks, track claim activity, and access disaster protocols without relying on slower-moving email chains.
Finally, agencies should pressure-test their plans before they are needed. Tabletop exercises can expose hidden vulnerabilities and reveal fixes that are inexpensive and easy to implement now, but costly and disruptive if discovered during an actual event.
AI is changing the equation
Artificial intelligence is increasingly part of the preparedness stack. During
catastrophes, policyholders want immediate acknowledgment, clear instructions, and regular updates. Many agencies have pre-drafted client communications and segmented contact lists for high-risk areas. AI-powered tools help generate timely updates, FAQs, and website notices in minutes, not hours, freeing staff to focus on complex, emotional, high-touch client needs.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly
part of the (disaster) preparedness stack.
AI chatbots and virtual assistants are also gaining traction, not as replacements for human service, but as pressure valves. They can be deployed to answer routine questions such as how to file a claim, where to find carrier contact information, or what documentation is needed, preserving human capacity where judgment and empathy matter most.
Preparedness is the differentiator
Independent agents can’t control when or where the next catastrophic event will strike. But many are proving they can control how ready they are when it does. By using the periods of calm to plan, communicate, and invest in resilience, agents are leading clients through disruption, clearly, confidently, and when it matters most.
The author
Mike Skiados is CEO of the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA National), one of the largest national associations of independent insurance agents. With deep experience in strategy, business development, and organizational leadership, he works to strengthen the role of insurance agents in a rapidly evolving insurance marketplace. In his role, Mike focuses on building innovative solutions, forging strong partnerships, and ensuring that PIA National continues to deliver unmatched value to its members while shaping the future of the independent agency system.
