By Rachel Pleasant
Staff Writer

Hurricane season officially begins June 1, and if the forecasts prove true, this summer won’t be a boring one.

Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expect 12 to 15 tropical storms will form in the Atlantic before the season ends Nov. 30. Of those, seven to nine may become hurricanes, three to five of which could become major, a Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Though South Carolina was spared much of 2004’s storm activity, feeling the effects of two storms, Charley and Gaston, last year’s season was the most costly ever in the United States. An estimated $42 billion worth of damage was left in the wake of Charley, Frances, Jeanne and Ivan.

For all the losses a hurricane creates, tropical systems also mean a windfall for those industries most in demand before and after a storm. And businesses in the Lowcountry, including tree trimmers, roofers and insurance writers, are making sure they will be prepared when the phones start ringing.

At C & M Timber Service in Charleston, president Robert Conklin is stocking up and readying his seven employees for the busiest part of the year.

“We chase a lot of storms,” says Conklin, who has operated in the Lowcountry for two years. “We’re stocking up on chains, oil, saws. Really, we’re getting everything in order, so we’ll be ready to travel at a moment’s notice.”

Conklin says he is already experiencing a 20% to 25% increase in calls ahead of the official hurricane season start. After last year’s brush with tropical weather, homeowners are taking a closer look at their properties.

“We had a scare with Gaston, and people are taking more action,” Conklin says, adding that homeowners are requesting diseased trees be removed and making sure healthy trees are trimmed.

Roofing material in short supply

Like tree workers, roofers are in high demand in a storm’s aftermath, but this could be an especially hectic hurricane season for those who wield hammers and shingles.

The roofing industry has not had time to recover from last summer’s round of storms, says Kenny Grayson, branch manager of roofing materials supplier Bradco Supply.

“The shingle manufacturers haven’t even caught up yet, and a minor storm anywhere would really set them back,” Grayson says.

Though South Carolina did not get the full brunt of 2004’s hurricanes, roofing contractors in this state are still feeling the impact of the devastation in Florida and Alabama. Shingles were shipped to storm-damaged areas first, creating shortages and long waits for contractors even hundreds of miles away.

“We’re still about a month’s wait out for shingles. Normally, when we didn’t have anything to work against, you were looking at a couple days,’’ Grayson says, adding that prices are continuing to increase, fueled by high petroleum prices. A roofing square, which covers 100 square feet, cost between $30 and $35 a year ago, today it cost between $45 and $48.

Add a booming residential construction industry in the Charleston area to the mix, and it is easy to see why Grayson is leery of the impending hurricane season.

“Loyalty is pushed aside because contractors are going to go anywhere they have to to get what they need,” he says.

Updating insurance policies

Of course, hurricane-related roof and home repairs are often covered by insurance policies and now is the time when Cliff Heath, owner of Cliff Heath Insurance, starts feeling the rush.

“I wrote four homeowners’ policies today, and I don’t do much writing,” Heath says. “That’s a lot for me personally. Business has bloomed and blossomed in the past couple days, and it’s because the news media is bringing hurricane season to people’s attention.”

In advance of hurricane season, Heath says he gathers his agents together and assembles a preparation strategy.

“We’re an independent agent, so we call all the companies we work with to see if there are any new updates and any new restrictions they have placed on their policies,” Heath says.

Heath’s agents also check to make sure they know how to get in touch with adjusters if a storm should hit and clarifies each company’s guidelines for suspending policy writing.

“Normally there is a cutoff, depending on where the storm is located,” Heath says. “Some companies use different distances, so we want to make sure we’re doing it right.

“We also try to go through our current files to see if a policy hasn’t been paid and is close to canceling. Throughout the year, we don’t pay much attention because it’s not our responsibility to make sure someone is making their payments, but our biggest scare is to have someone call and try to make a claim but find out their policy cancelled four days before the hurricane.”

Heath’s agents, four in Charleston and another four in Rock Hill, also take a closer look before selling policies during this time of year.

“We have a barrage of calls, and everyone wants insurance, but we have to be careful in the underwriting, if we feel someone might not be a good risk for us,” Heath says.

With all the preparation done, Heath, who has been in the insurance business since 1974 and has seen his share of hurricane seasons, says there is not much left to do but wait for the real action—the claims calls after a storm strikes. He does not take on any new employees during this time of year because now is when it pays to be surrounded by your best workers.

“I remember after Hugo, our building in Rock Hill was blown out, and we had agents writing claims in the dark,” Heath said. “All we can do is try to get everything in order.”

Rachel Pleasant is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at rpleasant@crbj.com.

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