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Hurricane's scars will linger on cars

Auto insurers are awash with claims, and South Florida repair shops are fully booked for weeks.

By TAMARA LUSH
Published November 27, 2005

HOLLYWOOD - Willie Bermudez knows that his insurance company will pay to repair the "nicks, scratches, bumps and bruises" that his cherry-red Ford F-150 sustained during Hurricane Wilma.

What he's afraid of, though, is how long it will take to get the truck repaired.

"There's been so many cars damaged that I think I'm going to have to wait in line," said Bermudez, 43, of Miami.

Bermudez may be waiting for a while.

Tens of thousands of vehicles were damaged Oct. 24 during the sprawling, 120-mph storm, and owners are still filing claims, according to the state's two largest auto insurers. Progressive has processed nearly 20,000 claims so far. State Farm said that it has processed a whopping 61,000 auto claims due to Wilma - more than all of the company's 2004 hurricane auto claims in Florida combined.

"The last time we received this many claims was Hurricane Andrew," said Jose Soto, a spokesman for State Farm in Florida.

This has led to a huge backlog at auto body shops across South Florida. Owners of damaged cars are waiting three weeks to four months for an appointment.

At Headquarter Toyota in Hialeah, the auto body department tells callers it is setting appointments for April. Smaller shops report a shorter wait.

"We are going crazy," said Gladys Fonseca, the owner of Brilliant of Hollywood Auto Paint and Collision Repair.

Fonseca said she has hired a few extra guys just to handle the workload. Her employees work six days a week, 12 hours a day; the shop is a frenzy of washing, painting, taping and polishing.

During a normal week, the shop repairs or paints about 20 cars a week.

"Since the hurricane, it's more than 40 cars a week," Fonesca said.

The flood of auto claims has helped make Wilma one of the costliest hurricanes ever to hit Florida. Insured losses could reach $9-billion for the storm, according to insurance company estimates. In contrast, Andrew caused $15-billion in insured losses and Katrina is estimated at $40-billion or more.

Wilma's wrath on automobiles is nothing compared to Katrina. The insurance industry estimates that nearly a half-million vehicles were destroyed or never recovered because of the hurricane and subsequent flooding during that storm.

In South Florida, wind was the culprit for most car problems. Most cars were nicked or scratched by flying debris. In the hours after the storm passed, it wasn't unusual to see twisted sheets of aluminum, or even tree trunks, resting on top of cars.

Motorists need comprehensive auto coverage in order for their insurance company to pay for hurricane-related repairs. Lucky drivers have low, comprehensive deductibles - which means the insurance company will pay for the repairs.

A trip to the auto body shop can run into the thousands if an entire car needs to be repainted after a tussle with hurricane debris.

Because so much of the damage was cosmetic - and because it was difficult to find gasoline in the days after the hurricane - some insurers set up tents in large parking lots to accommodate customers. One company enticed customers with a free barbecue.

State Farm pitched a tent and parked an RV at the Hollywood Dog Track. It was a drive-through inspection site - "just like a Burger King," said Soto - where adjusters could see as many cars as possible and write estimates on the spot. During the days immediately after the hurricane, adjusters were seeing as many as 250 cars a day.

On Friday, the inspection center was still open, 41/2 weeks after the hurricane. The number of customers had trickled to a few dozen, including Bermudez and his two sons.

Their three cars - an Acura, a Honda and Bermudez's Ford - were all parked under a giant tent, while State Farm adjusters scrutinized the scratched paint.

Bermudez, who thinks a dislodged fence was the culprit, hovered around his truck like an anxious parent.

"I'm fanatic about keeping my car nice and clean and polished.

"I thought I did the best I could before the hurricane," he added. "I parked against the house, I thought it would be shielded from most of the damage."

--Tamara Lush can be reached at 727 893-8612 or at lush@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 27, 2005, 01:17:13]