All these condemnations usually come with a healthy dose of indignation that holds insurers responsible for abandoning “the people” in the first place. Never do these declarations recognize the complexity of the problem, or the willingness of insurers to be part of the solution.

Mark my words, when the hurricane comes, the wind will not stop blowing before the blame starts flowing, and you [carriers], my friends, are at the bottom of the hill.

The question is not how the insurance industry will respond, but how your company will differentiate itself and preserve the credibility of your brand among policyholders, agents, regulators, and legislators.

During those years that I helped lead the response to Crist's assault on the insurance industry, I also had the opportunity to visit many of those insurers in the crosshairs. The people I met were proud of their company's performance during those difficult times. Oftentimes, they directed me to bulletin boards where numerous, heartfelt letters of thanks from policyholders were displayed to motivate the team and provide real-world evidence of the good work being done. But those good stories never seemed to make it off the bulletin boards. Some insurers were uncomfortable telling their own story. Some didn't know how.

Insurers work overtime on disaster preparedness and response. Emergency adjusters, sophisticated mobile claims adjusting units, colocation facilities for data backup… even contingency operations bunkers capable of withstanding F5 tornadoes all figure into a comprehensive plan for delivering on the commitment to policyholders.

As the next hurricane season looms, insurers should be just as prepared for the public and political repercussions sure to follow a storm making landfall.