Atlantic hurricane season runs from the first of June to the end of November. For a South Florida property owner the practical consequence is straightforward. There is a window every spring to document what the property looks like intact, and most people let it go by without thinking about it.
The pre-season baseline
A baseline set is an aerial survey of the property in undamaged condition. Roof planes, penetrations, fencing, screen enclosure, dock and seawall, landscaping, and the surrounding grade. Dated, high resolution, and stored somewhere that is not the property itself.
All of its value is in what comes later. The first thing an adjuster asks about any finding is whether it predates the storm, and no is a much stronger answer with a photograph attached. For a condo association or a commercial owner with a large envelope, the same set doubles as a reserve study and maintenance record.
- Every roof plane, shot from consistent positions and altitude
- A true overhead of the whole parcel
- Seawall, dock and any waterfront structure
- Screen enclosures, pool cages and detached structures
- Large trees near the structure, which matter twice over, as damage risk and as damage cause
What happens in the days after a storm
Two things surprise people. Airspace is often restricted over a declared disaster area, sometimes for days, while search and rescue and utility aircraft are working. Flying into that is illegal and genuinely dangerous, so a legitimate operator will tell you no until it lifts.
The other is demand. Every roofer, adjuster, association and owner wants aerial documentation in the same week. Clients with a standing relationship get scheduled first, which is one more argument for making the call in May instead of September.
The post-storm flight
- Fly the same positions as the baseline, so every frame has a direct before-and-after pair
- Add close detail passes on anything visibly damaged, at the lowest safe altitude
- Capture the surrounding block for context, because widespread damage in the neighborhood supports the account of what happened at your address
- Deliver dated, unedited full-resolution frames alongside anything prepared for presentation
For associations and commercial owners
The math changes at scale. One aerial survey of a condo property produces a record for every unit owner, every roof section, every deck and every walkway at once, and it can be flown in an afternoon without anybody going up on a roof in the days after a storm, which is exactly when roofs are least safe to walk. Boards that have been through one claim usually book the next baseline without being asked twice.
Common questions
When should I have a pre-hurricane aerial survey done?
May or early June, before the season and before the calendar fills. The set stays valid until something changes on the property.
Can you fly immediately after a hurricane?
Not always. Temporary flight restrictions are common over declared disaster areas while emergency aircraft are operating. We fly as soon as the airspace allows and we will tell you honestly when that is.
Do you work with insurance adjusters and roofers?
Yes. Disaster assessment is a standing part of what we do, and the deliverable is built to hand straight to a carrier or a contractor.
This piece supports two pages worth reading next:
Frantz founded Papa's Aerial Services and flies as pilot in command on commercial jobs across Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach. He holds an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate and the company is licensed, insured and authorized for night operations.
