Cruz to Redding, but she mostly worked in the Bay Area. The 2017 Tubbs Fire took place during her tenure, but she didn’t work on those claims, because she was still in training and was assigned to smaller fires. Still, she had clients who’d lost people, pets and heirlooms in fires, and so rather than simply looking at a site to evaluate the property loss, empathy and caring for a client‘s emotions were part of the job as well. The work required substantial energy—mental and emotional as well as physical— and the sites she visited were often dangerous. She had to wear a mask for protection from asbestos, ash and toxic materials, which were often in the air, because moving things around disturbs those substances. Firefighter boots were also part of her protective gear to prevent injury if she stepped on nails. She recalls going to one house, where half the downstairs and half the upstairs had burned. “We needed to go upstairs, but we didn’t know if it was safe,” she says. “You have to make some big judgment calls. It’s an exciting job, but also very demanding.” Her experiences as an adjuster also gave her insight into the importance of getting help after a loss. Claims are complex, she says, and if you don’t start on the right foot, you won’t have a good outcome. “You have to be very exact and have a deep knowledge of what your rights are, or you’ll lose at least 20% of your coverage,” she explains. Property owners also need to be able to answer questions. Did an inspector come? What’s your policy coverage? Will personal property be replaced? In addition, knowledge of different categories of coverage is essential if you are to reconstruct your life, whether the loss is a home or a business. She points out that many businesses that closed during the COVID-19 pandemic were unable to claim their loss of income because their claims weren’t handled well and their policies tended to be vague. “You have to know how to present yourself to know how to present your claim,” she says. “Please ask for help. Do not try to handle your claim on your own.” She explains that the process is confusing, putting people at risk of losing up to 50% if they file a claim themselves, and they could inadvertently do something
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38 NorthBaybiz
June 2025
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