Atlantic Canada is in full preparation mode as Hurricane Dorian continues to sweep up the East Coast of the United States.

There continues to be some uncertainty about the track and severity of the storm, which caused blackouts to approximately 400,000 homes and businesses in North and South Carolina as of 7:40am (local time) this morning (September 06). The US National Hurricane Center reported the storm traveling northeast from the Outer Banks of North Carolina at approximately 14mph.

Despite the uncertainty, Environment Canada meteorologist Ian Hubbard has warned, “It’s going to be a very significant wind event.”

In preparation for Dorian’s imminent arrival, Crawford Catastrophe Services has switched into overdrive in Atlantic Canada. The claims management firm has set up a 24/7 CLAIMSALERT call centre, which will be monitoring Dorian’s progress and call volume around the clock this weekend.

Jim Eso, senior vice president, property & casualty for Crawford Canada commented: “Our mission is to restore lives, businesses and communities. That mission is never more evident than when widespread weather events impact a large region. Crawford has already deployed an international team of adjusters to The Bahamas to assess the damage in that region and has many resources from across Canada and around the world standing by to assist in Atlantic Canada should they be required.”