Share a little bit about your company – its background, location, etc
As a veteran-owned and operated contents restoration company, 1-800-Packouts of South Miami proudly serve Miami-Dade County and the surrounding metro. Our team specializes in emergency content packouts, detailed inventory, secure climate-controlled storage, and professional cleaning/restoration services before returning personal belongings to the homeowner after their home has been repaired.
When did you first get the call about the loss? How did you land this job? Did you have a prior relationship, referral, online search, etc?
After a week of typical Miami heavy rain and flooding, we were contacted by a mitigation contractor already on site. Thanks to strong relationships with local mitigation and GC partners, we were brought in when it became clear the project required a full contents packout with detailed documentation.
Walk us through the loss:
What type of loss was it? How did it happen?
This was a water loss due to severe thunderstorms combined with plumbing drain backup. The heavy rain overwhelmed the system while the homeowner was out of town, causing the drain to overflow and water to spread into multiple areas of the home.
How much of the structure was affected?
Most of the first floor and the garage were impacted, including the living room, dining room, kitchen area and bedrooms.
Did this require mitigation? Rebuild? Contents?
The mitigation team handled extraction and dryout, while our role was contents packout. We took inventory, packed and transported all affected belongs to our secure climate-controlled warehouse for processing, cleaning and storage.
How big was the crew working on the loss, especially in the days immediately after?
We deployed a team of one supervisor and four technicians, completing the on-site packout in three full days.
What was the biggest challenge on this loss? What was the biggest win?
Biggest challenges:
Coordination – Having multiple vendors on-site required precise communication.
Tight timeline – The GC’s demo schedule left a narrow window to clear contents so structure work could begin.
Access/staging – Exterior staging areas were limited due to flooding, demanding our team to be precise on their communication skills, command and control of the scene.
Safety – Electrical hazard/no power and low lighting conditions meant we ran our own lighting and maintained safety protocols
Biggest wins:
Strategic zoning – We mapped out the home into zones, and conducted effective damage control.
Command and control – We were able to respond quickly, saving and restoring the homeowner’s personal belongings.
Carrier collaboration – Early communication with the adjuster aligned on scope, preventing delays and extra stress on the homeowner.
What is the biggest lesson your team learned, good or bad, on this loss?
Pre-planning is essential. It’s crucial to walk the site with the mitigation team and GC to script the load path. Maintaining clean inventory practices helps to avoid cross contamination and rehandling. And communication across teams is critical during widespread weather events.
How long did the restoration process take?
The packout phase with full inventory took three full days. Content processing/cleaning and storage continued at our facility.
How was communication with the carrier/adjuster throughout the process? How long did it take to get paid in full?
From the beginning, communication was clear and direct. We submitted detailed photos, inventories, and documentation, setting a clear expectation with the carrier, adjuster and homeowner. Final documentation was resubmitted promptly and payment was processed in full without delay.
Anything else you would like to share?
This project showcases the importance of having a strategy and a veteran-lead team, ensuring a clear command structure, safety, discipline, checklists and the ability to adapt quickly. Our collaboration with all parties made it possible to safely and efficiently complete this three-day packout under challenging conditions.
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