With hurricane season starting tomorrow, it is essential to be ready. Preparedness is critical to avoid injuries and to prevent damage to your property. Hurricanes and tropical storms are among the most devastating natural disasters in Florida. Although their category and trajectory can be forecasted to an extent, once they make landfall, there’s no way to anticipate the devastation they bring.

Learn how to protect your life and your property. Here’s a short list of recommendations and advice:

• Learn if your area is in the path of the storm.
• Be on the lookout for warnings and emergency alerts issued by authorized sources such as the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
• Identify all evacuation routes and shelter locations in your area.  
• Identify the safest shelters within your own home: ideally, an interior, sturdy room with no windows, located on the lowest level of your property that is not subject to flooding.
• Gather important supplies: buy food that will keep and store plenty of drinking water. Don’t forget medication. Keep in mind you need to plan for your pets as well.
• Make sure you have emergency equipment ready and charged: flashlights, cellphones, battery-powered radios, and generators.
• Protect your property: Clean and declutter all your drains and rain gutters. Install hurricane shutters or plywood or other material to protect your doors and windows. Trim your garden and backyard trees.
• Keep all your important documents and personal property in a safe place.
• Review your insurance policy for proper coverage before hurricane season.

Repairs associated with storm and hurricane damage can be very expensive. That’s why it’s important to be prepared right from the beginning. By following these recommendations you can secure your property and prevent further damage and fatal accidents.

Cinco de Mayo is a beautiful holiday that commemorates Mexican culture and heritage. This fun and colorful day is celebrated in many regions of the U.S., particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations, such as Florida.

This year’s Cinco de Mayo, however, we decided to mark the date in a different way, perhaps a more helpful one. We joined the Golf Tournament organized by the Mexican American Council (MAC) at Topgolf Miami Doral. This tournament was a unique opportunity to raise funds for the Farmworker Student Scholarship, aimed to fund quality education for farmworker children.

MAC’s main goal is to advance the living standards of farmworker youth by breaking the cycle of poverty through education, the arts, and civic engagement.  MAC is a well-respected advocate of community issues and an agent of positive change for promoting cultural and civic engagement with a record of over 30 years of service in the community.

Last night we attended the Farmworker Student Recognition Ceremony in Homestead, Fl. We’re proud to support the Mexican American Council in their mission: to ensure that every farmworker child be provided a quality education and access to the arts for a brighter future.

Two weeks ago, The Washington Post reported that hurricane Michael had been reclassified to a category 5 storm, the top of the Saffir-Simpson scale. According to The Hurricane Center Michael is now the first such storm to make landfall in the U.S. since Andrew decimated Florida in 1992.

Many were surprised with the upgrade. However, for the residents of Mexico Beach, FL, this news came as a reaffirmation of the horrors they had to endure. They were the first to feel the effects of the monster storm when it made landfall last October. Michael’s strong winds reached 160 mph; in addition, it pushed a 16-foot surge onto the coastline. Meteorologists assured that Michael’s destructive effects resembled the devastation of a super-wide tornado. The hurricane caused 49 deaths and more than $5.5 billion in damages.

With this upgrade, Michael becomes one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the U.S. According to the Hurricane Center, Michael now ranks as the fourth-strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the United States. The other three are the Labor Day Hurricane (1935), Camille (1969), and Andrew (1992).

Six months have passed since Michael hit Florida, but many parts of the region are still struggling to recover. According to the Washington Post, the biggest problems are neither electricity nor road functionality, but housing: thousands still remain without permanent housing.

Last month, Omni Claims Consultants attended a wonderful event: the Aloha FunFest 2019, organized by the Palmetto Elementary School PTA. The FunFest is an annual Spring Carnival conceived as a family day full of all sorts of kid-friendly attractions. Food, funny games, laser tag, prizes, and live entertainment were available to all, kids and adults. Award-winning performing arts groups comprising children from Palmetto Elementary brightened the day with their live presentations. The festival also included sales of used books and a student/adult bake-off.

The ambiance at the Aloha FunFest was wonderful. Everyone at Palmetto Elementary School was very helpful and welcoming. We want to give a big thanks to Gabrielle O’Quinn and Andrea Gonzalez in providing us information, answering all our questions and guiding us along the way to be able to participate of this event.

All the kids had a memorable time eating delicious food and playing fun games such as the Omni-sponsored laser tag. Face painting and hula dancing were among the most fun parts; homemade desserts in the bake sale section were absolutely mouthwatering. We were thrilled to see how talented our local children are and how events like this can motivate and inspire them in pursuing a more vital and comprehensive educational experience.

As a sponsor of this event, Omni Claims Consultants had the opportunity to provide attendees with information about our company while having fun and enjoying the activities with our families and loved ones. As part of our contribution to the students of the Palmetto Elementary School PTA, we raffled a Nintendo Switch with a bonus game included. Seeing the delight on the face of the student that won our Nintendo prize was the highlight of our day!

It is such a magnificent feeling to be a part of a company that gives back to our community, especially for the inspiring cause of supporting our local children at Palmetto Elementary School.

“Omni Claims Consultants is fully committed to the implementation and practice of corporate social responsibility. By developing our business with a positive relationship to our local community, we want to be conscious of the kind of social impact we are having. We want to contribute positively with activities that benefit and enhance society.”

We are grateful for the opportunity of supporting Palmetto Elementary and bringing Aloha to our kids. Aloha is a peculiar Hawaiian word that comprises several concepts; its deepest meaning includes love, peace, and compassion. Aloha is like a roadmap to a beautiful and vibrant life: to fully live in Aloha is to have a heart so full of peace, love, and compassion, that it overflows and can positively influence others around. We hope that our contribution to the Aloha FunFest 2019 had a positive influence on everyone attending the activities, and specially on the very talented Palmetto Elementary children. We consider them to be the light of our community’s future.

Thanks again Palmetto Elementary School for the amazing opportunity to be a part of this festival. We at Omni are looking forward to 2020’s event.

Aloha!