Editor’s Note: 72 days and counting until

Legislators are meeting across the Southeast to discuss a wide variety of insurance issues: Proposals in Florida would designate hurricane tax revenue to help pay for hurricane repairs; there are a dozen proposals in Georgia, including one to give a general contractor a certain amount of time to notify a subcontractor that insurance does not meet specifications, see page 48; and similar topics elsewhere in the Gulf states and even in Washington, D.C.

During the past several weeks I attended meetings of the National Council of Insurance Legislators and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. While catastrophes and natural disasters, including hurricanes, forest fires and earthquakes were topics of discussion-no one asked a very important question: “Are we ready for another hurricane season that could be worse than all the rest?”

The main topic at most events was about what to do about the victims of past hurricanes, what to do about unpaid claims and how to strengthen the system. Composing and regulating stronger, hurricane-resistant building codes was discussed, but that was about the only topic recognizing the 2006 hurricane season will soon be upon us.

At one of the other events I attended, the Windstorm Insurance Conference, meteorologists and prognosticators predicted a record number of hurricanes in 2006. Other speakers mentioned that after the second or third hurricane tore through Central Florida, residents became tired of preparing for hurricanes and exhibited the signs of a new stress-related problem, “hurricane fatigue,” during which they simply gave up, stopped putting up hurricane shutters and waited to see if they would be hit.

The only event I attended recently during which anyone mentioned getting ready for the 2006 hurricane season was during a day-long event sponsored by the Independent Insurance Agents of Dade County. Experts speaking at that event gave attendees an array of tips about how to prepare for the 2006 hurricane season. Speakers from Miami-Dade County said that while they were prepared for emergency operations, every individual attending that meeting should also prepare to be ready when a hurricane hits. They cautioned everyone not to rely on web providers in South Florida, or anywhere in Florida, but to move their servers to states in which hurricanes were not a threat; to implement data backup programs which would enable them to have information about their policyholders, even if without services; and to have generators and supplies ready so that when another hurricane hits, they will be ready.

The Miami-Dade County Miami Big “I” should be congratulated for thinking ahead and inviting such knowledgeable people to advise its members.

No one, or at least only a few people in the insurance industry, politicians or even homeowners seem to be thinking ahead. Everyone should prepare now for what weather forecasters like Max Mayfield at the National Hurricane Center in Miami say, in exactly 72 days, could be the worst hurricane season yet.

I wonder if hurricane fatigue hasn’t afflicted everyone in the Southeast and Gulf states-if it has, everyone had better snap-out-of-it and prepare for what could be another busy hurricane season-and, who knows, there could very possibly be a hurricane before June 1; look at those last few hurricanes that developed last year AFTER the hurricane season had ended, who can say with certainty that this summer’s hurricane season won’t start in May!