Mike Hearn, director of customer success at Spex, a property inspection platform company based in Denver, Colo., was traveling through North Carolina after the storm. Some of the homes experienced anywhere from a few inches to several feet of water. “As with most hurricanes, damages are generally associated with heavy winds, large amounts of rainfall and storm surge. There is plenty of wind damage from Hurricane Matthew in the form of downed trees and shingle losses to roofs,” shared Hearn.

“In some cases, houses were completely inundated with water,” said Hearn. “Making matters worse is the fact that many of these homes had no flood insurance since they were not declared to be in flood zones.”

The 48 counties affected by the hurricane in North Carolina, are also home to many of the key agricultural producers for the state. Harvest season was just beginning for crops like soybeans, sweet potatoes and peanuts. According to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, 1.9 million chickens were lost during Hurricane Matthew and that number could grow even higher after the flooding recedes. Hog farmers seem to have fared better, since many farmers were able to relocate their animals to higher ground. The impact of the storm will be felt in grocery stores in the months to come.

A week after Hurricane Matthew struck Florida, almost 40,000 claims had been filed according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. In North Carolina, State Farm insures the largest number of homeowners, and had moved its catastrophe response team into the affected areas, concentrating on the most severely impacted first. Nationwide and other insurers are also working throughout the state.

Many insurers are relying on various types of technology to investigate and manage these losses. “Technology is becoming more prevalent with this event,” said Hearn. “We have heard of drones being used on some claims, as well as cloud-based mobile-first software to expedite claims handling. The best-suited software for recovery efforts like this don't require connectivity, since internet access remains an issue in many cases.”

Like hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, Matthew will offer insurers the opportunity to further refine their catastrophe response, educate policyholders on how to prepare for and mitigate the risks associated with storms and other weather events, and demonstrate how insurance is far more than just the policy that was purchased.