T.R. Jones Hurricane Center
As we enter the 2006 Hurricane Season, all of us at T.R. Jones & Co. are prepared to assist you in the claims/recovery process should our area be affected by a storm event. As part of our disaster recovery plan, we are pleased to announce our new Service 911 Disaster Call Center toll free line at 866-389-2409. In the event our phone system is damaged or down, our Service 911 will be activated to serve you in the same courteous efficient manner that you have grown accustomed to. Our Service 911 team is located out-of-state and has access to our client data base in order to assist you with your claim. You will be able to report your claim to our service 911 team or be transferred to your carrier toll free claim line.
Useful Links
- Florida Association of Independent Agents (FAIA) – Click on Catastrophe. Site includes the agency cat guide, evacuation and shelter info, hurricane checklists, hurricane claim numbers for carriers, hurricane preparedness info, evac routes; weather related websites, zones & coordinators as well as a list of each county emergency operations center.
- Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, Inc. (IIABA) – Click on Best Practices, then click on Best Practices product Catalog for the Best Practices of Crisis Management, a Step by Step Business Recovery Planner. This tool includes both a written manual and an interactive CD designed to enable you to create an in-house, fully customized plan to lead your agency step-by-step through the disaster recovery process. The guide is available for $99.95.
- Institute for Business Home Safety - Free “Open for Business” disaster planning toolkit for small business owners as well as “Getting Back to Business,” a guide for recovering from a disaster. Includes a lot of helpful forms. In addition, free single copies of a “Disaster Recovery Folder” which contains planning advice and can hold the agency’s important papers. They also make for good hand-outs for the agency’s policyholders. To access the tools, go to www.ibhs.org and click on “Open for Business.”
- Small Business Administration – SBA offers information on preparing facilities and business operations, communicating during an emergency and insurance information.
- National Hurricane Center – The national Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center website has details of how to prepare for a hurricane disaster as well as what to include in a disaster supply kit.
- Florida Division of Emergency Management – 800-342-3557
- Federal Emergency Management Agency– 800-525-0321. Tons of information and links to all types of disaster preparedness and recovery topics ranging from environmental, fire, tornados, floods, terrorism, etc.
- FEMA Emergency management Guide for Business & Industry – A step by step approach to emergency planning, response and recovery for companies of all sizes.
- Florida Small Business Development Center Network – The SBDC network offers resources related to emergency assistance for Florida-based businesses. The website has an IRS presentation on tax relief, including the type of records needed to determine and prove a casualty loss.
- Disaster Recovery Journal - Site dedicated to the field of disaster recovery. Contains links on every topic from automation and systems control to emergency management
- Disaster Recovery Journal-Business Continuity Planning Model
- Disaster Recovery Journal – Sample Disaster Recovery Plans
- Disaster Resource Guide online - General information/Article Source
- Hurricane Manual for Marine Interests
- Florida Initiative Against Homeland Terrorism – Brochures and information on terrorism recovery and planning
- Florida Disaster – Blueprint for Family Safety & Checklists on terrorism. Information on the CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) Program for communities. (Great program for agents to sponsor for clients at very little cost)
- Federal Alliance For Safe Homes – This is a great site for tips and information on how to mitigate damage to your homes from all types of disasters including flood, fire, hurricanes, hail, etc.
Tracking, forecasting, predictions:
- National Hurricane Center Tropical Prediction Center – Shows active tropical systems, weather outlook, predictions, etc. Also has a general library of information that is great at www.aolml.noaa.gov/general/lib/hurricane.html
- Hurricane Alley – Another great storm tracking prediction site to be used for forecasting purposes, or in making decisions about your life and your property.
- Overall Satellite Images – This site provides a comprehensive satellite image of the entire Atlantic hurricane basin including the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. If something is brewing out there, you’ll see it here.
- William Gray – Private hurricane forecaster William Gray, a meteorologist at Colorado State University issues forecasts several times each year