The new front lines of wildfire & hurricane exposure
Jul 2025
Jul 2025
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From early-season wildfires igniting in the Southwest to hurricanes driving unprecedented damage hundreds of miles inland, the landscape of catastrophe risk is changing. These events no longer follow predictable paths—and neither can insurer response strategies. Carriers must be prepared to act faster, smarter, and with greater empathy when disaster strikes, no matter where or when it hits.
The traditional model—waiting for boots on the ground to assess damage—is no longer sufficient. It introduces delays and inaccurate reserves, drives up loss adjustment expenses (LAE), and leaves USAA members in the dark when they need clarity most. In this new era of catastrophe exposure, insurers need tools that deliver speed and certainty at scale.
Faster insights, stronger outcomes
This is where high-resolution aerial imagery,AI-powered property insights, and software platform designed for insurance claims teams come into play. With a complete solution like the ImpactResponse by Nearmap, insurers can receive post-catastrophe imagery and damage assessments within hours of landfall or ignition. This enables claims teams to triage properties immediately, even before the first notice o loss (FNOL) comes in.
The result? More accurate reserves, faster settlements, reduced LAE, and—most importantly— members who feel seen and supported in their moment of greatest need.
New geographies. New expectations.
Catastrophes aren’t just intensifying—they’re expanding. Once-rare events are now hitting communities not traditionally classified as high-risk. Inland flooding, urban wildfires, and derecho storms have become more frequent and more destructive.
Insurers must be able to deliver the same high-quality claims experience whether a storm hits the Gulf Coast or the Midwest. By leveraging pre- and post-event aerial imagery in combination with AI-powered analytics, carriers can build a scalable response that doesn’t rely on geography—or guesswork.
Prioritize what matters most
When a storm tears through a member’s life, every second counts. But so does every decision.
ImpactResponse System pulls in the CAT event boundaries or forecasted paths and identifies properties that are impacted by the event. The system then scores all these properties, if pre-event imagery is available, to reveal their vulnerabilities in such events. USAA claims teams can start predicting areas with potential damage and prioritizing resources. They can even proactively communicate with members about the risk and the claims processes.
After the event, Nearmap rapidly captures post-disaster imagery and makes them available in the ImpactResponse System, generally within 3-24 hours. The system then uses AI on the imagery to assess damage severity based on FEMA-scale classifications, enabling carriers to quickly identify which properties need urgent attention. This helps carriers:
- Prioritize high-severity losses for immediate follow-up
- Avoid wasting resources on minimally impacted properties
- Reduce unnecessary field inspections
- Accurately and rapidly set reserves based on real damage—not assumptions
These capabilities help drive both operational efficiency and financial discipline, improving profitability in a time when CAT claims are becoming more frequent and costly. A proactive approach is also critical in retaining members and increasing their satisfaction.
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Insurers can quickly survey impacted areas after a CAT event with damage detection AI available in the ImpactResponse system.
Transparency breeds member trust
Visual evidence is a powerful tool—not just for internal decision-making, but also for customer communication and regulatory compliance. With access to up-to-date aerial imagery and damage classifications, insurers can clearly document the condition of a property before and after a storm. That level of transparency goes a long way in:
- Reducing disputes
- Supporting fair, defensible settlements
- Mitigating fraud
- Demonstrating regulatory compliance with visual proof
In a time when customer trust is everything, this kind of clarity matters.
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Preparedness Is the New Advantage
Catastrophes will never be convenient. But preparation can make them manageable.
By joining the ImpactResponse program in advance of storm season, insurers gain guaranteed access to post-disaster aerial captures and AI insights—delivered within hours of catastrophe events. This proactive enrollment ensures carriers aren’t waiting in line when the next big event hits. It also sends a clear message to members: We’re ready for what’s coming. And we’re here for you.
Technology That Empowers Human Connection
While automation and imagery drive speed, they also make room for something just as valuable: compassion. When insurers can assess damage portfolio-wide within hours, they can act with intention—reaching out to the hardest-hit policyholders first, not waiting for them to make the call. And in cases of total loss, this ability to show up proactively, with empathy and answers, is what sets great insurers apart.
The Bottom Line
Disasters are accelerating, expanding, and evolving. To meet the moment, insurers must evolve too—shifting from reactive to proactive, from manual to automated, and from fragmented to focused.
By leveraging pre- and post-event aerial imagery, AI-driven vulnerability scoring and damage assessments, and software platform like the ImpactResponse System, all fully owned by Nearmap, claims teams can lead with clarity, efficiency, and care.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about faster claims. It’s about better outcomes—for your operations, your bottom line, and most of all, your members.
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Insurers were able to quickly get a view of the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl
Let’s connect on a more resilient claims strategy
Leading carriers are already leveraging the complete solution by Nearmap to accelerate claims, reduce LAE, and improve customer experiences when it matters most.
We’d welcome the opportunity to show how the ImpactResponse solution by Nearmap can help your catastrophe and claims teams operate with greater speed, accuracy, and transparency.
Let’s set up a time to discuss how we can support your evolving CAT response strategy—while helping you deliver fair, timely outcomes for your members facing their hardest days.