MS/B Team Continues to Monitor Impact from 4 of the 2005 Hurricanes

A team of cost researchers at Marshall & Swift / Boeckh (MS/B) continues to monitor material and labor costs in areas affected by Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Ophelia, and Rita.

MS/B’s ongoing research reveals price changes at a significant number of locations due to increased demand. In response, a total of nine storm surge databases are now available for users of the IntegriClaim property claims estimator. Property adjusters rely on current storm demand surge pricing to assure that claims are estimated with prices that accurately reflect material and labor costs at the local level.

The nine locations are: Mobile, Alabama, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Panama City, and Pensacola, Florida, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, and Gulf Port and Jackson, Mississippi.

“The storm surge data we post on our Web site is data we’ve researched, validated, and can defend,” said Jonathan Kost, vice president of Claims Products at MS/B. “If other data is used on estimates in the field, we will seek to understand what caused the change, and make appropriate and timely modifications if necessary, but we will only be able to stand behind cost data that we publish.”

MS/B’s researchers are closely monitoring possible demand surge pricing at 13 locations, including wildfire-affected areas in the United
States and tornado-damaged sections of Ontario, Canada.

Demand surge databases are developed, posted, and updated on a regular basis as warranted. The databases are accessible by IntegriClaim users 24/7 from any browser and are a free service included in MS/B’s Catastrophe Response Plan.