Preparing for the Unexpected

Bad weather is a fact of life. But when it comes to tropical storms, hurricanes and other catastrophic events, being unprepared can have consequences far more severe than just forgetting your umbrella.

To stay one step ahead, IAA keeps a close eye on inclement weather alerts. However, even with advanced modeling and the best data, resources like the National Hurricane Center consider determining the intensity of a storm a significant challenge, especially since things can swiftly change once a hurricane makes landfall.

When Hurricane Harvey reached the United States, there were signs it was about to stall – right over the country’s fourth largest city, Houston.

That’s why IAA makes it a priority to be prepared. We have a full-time catastrophe team dedicated to weather recovery efforts. This was essential as it became increasingly likely that Hurricane Harvey was going to bring with it an unprecedented 50 inches of rain, and that Irma wasn’t far behind and heading straight for Florida.

There are a few things IAA prioritizes year-round so that we can handle the likes of Harvey and Irma. Space, organization and technology will always be critical, key areas of focus. When unexpected events blow in, it’s all too clear the value of being ready to go at a moment’s notice.

While I’d like to say just being prepared and proactive gets the job done, it’s only part of the equation.  With thousands of vehicles being delivered to our CAT holding yards each day from the hurricanes, we knew our selling strategy needed to deliver speed and results. To that end we’ve leveraged our flexible selling philosophy for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and it is in full flight today.

I am proud to say that our commitment and dedication to selling the vehicle through the right channel to the right buyer has paid off. My hats off to our incredible and innovative IAA team.

You’ll be hearing and seeing more about our results very soon as our second CAT report is in development.  I look forward to my next Perspectives when I will share that with you.

Supporting our customers through future catastrophes will always be a priority. In fact, each event allows us to refine our recovery strategy to better assist our customers. To find complete details about our Hurricane Harvey strategy and how our preparation benefitted our customers, be sure to read our report