As a very frequent flyer for business (and occasionally for pleasure) I tend to listen closely when the media is reporting on flight delays, terrorist threat levels, strong weather reports, reports on “pay for services” such as carryon bag and restroom charges, and almost anything else that produces a negative effect on the airline travel. I can also tell you that during my course of business travel over the years I have certainly experienced my share of flight delays, caused by a variety of reasons that even leaves an experienced traveler such as me scratching my head in wonder. Like the time there was a wild dog running loose on a runway in Islip, NY, that kept flights in the air until the Suffolk County Dog Catcher was able to corral the mangy mutt; or the time the bulb was out on a “Fasten Your Seat Belt” sign above the seat in front of me, and maintenance couldn’t locate a replacement bulb for two hours, and when they finally replaced the bulb the flight crew was over their limit and we waited another two hours while a new crew was brought in to drive us home. One of my favorites was the time when there was a hot air balloon festival in the New York area and a few of the balloonists wandered through some NY airspace due to some unexpected air currents, and both incoming and outgoing flights were delayed while authorities pondered a way to redirect the Wizard of Oz and his friends to a safer altitude and location. I suggested a blow gun and three darts, however I was told by a fellow passenger that was cruel and unusual punishment for unintentional errant behavior. I just thought it would be hysterical to puncture them and then watch the balloons deflate while rapidly zigzagging across the skies like we used to watch in the cartoons. Besides, anyone who is crazy enough to go up thousands of feet while standing in a straw basket and sipping Cristal while tied to a giant balloon has to assume some risk in their actions.

 

I have experienced so many of these strange reasons for delays during the years that I could probably write an entire column just on the excitement of business air travel, however that’s not my point for today’s column. My point today is that there is currently a natural occurrence in the form of a volcano in Iceland that is wreaking havoc on airlines and extending a huge no-fly zone affecting much of the air travel to Europe.

 

According to scientists and the FAA, the volcanic ash has enough density to shut down an airplane engine if the aircraft were to fly through it and ingest this matter into its engines. Of course this would create a major catastrophe, so even considering an attempt to traverse the plume in an airplane would be nonsensical. Aviation experts say the volcanic plume has caused the worst travel disruption Europe—and the world— has ever seen, and is the largest shut down of air traffic since 9/11.

 

This brings me back to my point of natural disasters, and the opportunity to prepare for an unexpected disaster. Fortunately for us here in the Northeast area of our country, we do not have too many volcanoes that could possibly erupt and potentially cause turmoil such as the one in Iceland, however we do experience our share of Nor’easter storms and even low grade hurricanes which have the potential to create a disaster not only in the form of a disruption in air travel but also create a major threat to life and property. With hurricane season just about upon us (begins June 1st and continues to November 31st, just about the same time that I wrap and unwrap my fig tree), it would probably be prudent upon those in the insurance industry to advise their clients on hurricane preparedness.

 

According to the Insurance Information Institute (www.iii.org) you should advise all of your clients to “take the ten minute challenge”. Meaning to calculate and determine if you are ready to survive a hurricane under the worst of conditions. What the I.I.I. suggests, is to give you and your family just 10 minutes to get your family and belongings into the car, and on the road to safety. If you plan ahead and practice this evacuation procedure, you should be able to gather your family members and pets, along with the most important items they will need, calmly and efficiently, with a minimum of stress and confusion.

 

You see, in the event of such an emergency (especially a tornado) in many instances you may have just minutes notice to gather your family and important papers, and leave the comfort of your house. What people don’t realize is that you may be possibly leaving for good, so you need to have a plan in effect and be able to implement it within minutes. You should ask your clients “Are you prepared for a natural disaster? Where you would go, and what you would take with you?” If they cannot answer this, or say that they never thought about it, you should advise them that with preparation and practice, they stand the best chance of getting out with what they need, and end up safely in the right place. Planning is key; and the following plan can help get them stay safe and even alive.

 

The Insurance Information Institute has posted the following plan on their website, and I highly recommend that you share it with your family and clients:

 

1. Arrange your Evacuation Ahead of Time

 

• Identify where you can go in the event of an evacuation. Try to have more than one option: the home of a friend or family member in another town, a hotel or a shelter. Keep the phone numbers and addresses of these locations handy.

 

• Map out your primary route and a backup route in case roads are blocked or impassable. Make sure you have a map of the area available.

 

• In case your family members are separated before or during the evacuation, identify a specific place to meet and ask an out-of-town friend or family member to act as a contact person.

 

• Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for evacuation instructions. If advised to evacuate, do so immediately. 2. Create a Home Inventory

 

A home inventory will help ensure that you have purchased enough insurance to replace your personal possessions. It can also speed the claims process and substantiate losses for income tax purposes. A detailed home inventory is also helpful should you need to apply for disaster aid. To make creating a home inventory easier, the I.I.I. provides free Web-based software at www.knowyourstuff.org allows you to organize easily and list your possessions, as well as add digital photographs of your valuables and upload scanned receipts. The program provides free, secure storage of your inventory on Amazon Web Services. Storing your inventory online gives you the ability to access it from any computer in the event your own computer is damaged or destroyed.

 

3. Plan What To Take

 

• Medicines, prescriptions and first aid kit

 

• Bottled water

 

• Clothing and bedding (sleeping bags, pillows)

 

• Flashlight, battery-powered radio and extra batteries

 

• Special items for infants or elderly or disabled family members

 

• Computer hard drive or laptop

 

• Photographs

 

• Pet food and other items for pets (litter boxes, leashes)

 

4. Gather Important Documents Keep important documents in a safe place that you can access easily. In the event of an evacuation take the following documents with you:

 

• Insurance policies

 

• Prescriptions

 

• Birth and marriage certificates

 

• Passports

 

• Drivers license or personal identification

 

• Social Security cards

 

• Recent tax returns

 

• Employment information

 

• Wills, deeds and recent tax returns • Stocks, bonds and other negotiable certificates

 

• Bank, savings and retirement account numbers

 

• Home inventory My advice to you: “Being prepared obviously won’t stop a natural disaster; however it can save your life and the lives of your loved ones.”

 

On the recent convention front, PIA of NY held their annual Regional Awareness Program at Leonard’s of Great Neck, on Long Island, NY. With a sold out trade show and a few hundred insurance professionals in attendance, Long Island RAP was once again a huge success. Master of Ceremonies and RAP Committee Chair Michael Cracco of Completely Covered Insurance introduced the luncheon key note speaker, Richard Zick of Utica First Insurance Company, and presented Mr. Zick with the Executive of the Year award. After accepting his award, Mr. Zick began the keynote address on issues of concern in the industry: “We [Utica First] have been in Long Island since 1940, so we’ve been around the block,” he said. “It’s the companies that get it, it’s the companies that stay the course and when I see something like this, where you’re honoring me, you’re not necessarily just honoring me. You’re also honoring the insurer, because it’s the dedication of the employees that we have and the commitment to Long Island and New York City that allows me to stand before you and make these comments today.”

 

Mr. Cracco also presented the prestigious Louis A. Morelli Memorial Award to Garrett M. Duffy of Babylon Spirit Insurance Agency; and also in an emotional presentation posthumously awarded Stan Landberg, who was with the firm Kingstone Insurance Company, with the same. As I am a proud member of the PIA of NY Long Island RAP Committee, I want to mention one last item that my fellow committee members voted on.

 

We in the insurance industry are extremely fortunate and blessed to be involved in this career path that we have chosen, and as we all know there are many others who are not as fortunate. Well, with that said, typically this committee purchases a floral arrangement for the many tables that are set during the luncheon, and then each table in their own rite raffles off the centerpiece to someone seated at the table that is the oldest, or the prettiest, or the closest birthday, etc. However, this time we provided non-perishable and beautifully decorated food baskets generously sponsored by Tower Group Companies, which were then donated to Island Harvest, a food rescue organization, at the conclusion of the luncheon.

 

Bravo PIA RAP Committee and PIA staff and I hope that other organizations recognize this and consider doing the same at other events. So many people were present at the conference, like Harvey Leff from Brooks Insurance; Scott Lobell from Lobell Insurance Agency (poor Mary Lobell had to stay back and run the office while Scott had all the fun!); Steve Shapiro and Jennifer Berger from D.C.White; Kevin Ryan (PIA of NY President) from Ryan Insurance; Donna Chiapperino (PIA President Elect) from Jimcor Agency; three generations of The Plafker Family (Phil, Alan, and Michael) from Member Brokerage; and Phil Mittleman along with Pat and Mary Hayes from EVO Systems. We welcome EVO Systems to our “family” and this thing of ours, as they are new attendees and exhibitors to this show. I usually don’t discuss specific products or services in this column; however as a person who is dedicated to helping those in the insurance industry be more successful I thought I should mention this. For those of you who may not have had a chance to visit their booth; EVO Systems has a new and very interesting “Online Payment Solution” for insurance companies and agencies that is an alternative payment method to ACH checking and conventional “checks in the mail”. Via a “Pay Online” button that is installed on the agency’s website, it allows the insured to transact a credit card payment for their policy. For additional information you may contact Pat Hayes at 516-384-1584 or email him at phayes@goevo.com. Well, thanks for taking another walk around our neighborhood with me, and next time we will be talking about Albany “I” Day, and whatever else I can think of at three o’clock in the morning. I say that because agents I meet very often ask me where and when I come up with some of the ideas for this column, and I tell them that I’ll be laying in bed and all of a sudden the insurance voices in my head will start and I’ll think of an idea and quickly jump up and write it down! It used to frighten Ann Marie when I would bolt and she would ask if I was ok, but now when she hears me jump up she just says “After you write it down put the dog out” she knows me too well! See you in Albany, and if you happen to be in the room next to mine and hear noises in the middle of the night, just bang on the wall and you’ll read about it in my next column!