Do you remember your first deployment as a catastrophe adjuster?
I do. It was 2005. And if it was 2005, you know the storm in question, right?
Katrina.
I had no background or real context for the job of cat adjuster. I was at a crossroads in my career when this path mysteriously emerged after an unexpected phone call from a longtime friend. Within 24 hours, I was in a hotel conference room in Grand Prairie, Texas, taking a crash course on catastrophes, adjusting, and catastrophe adjusting. The information was not spoon-fed, it was dump trucked on me and a few hundred of my closest stranger.
Five days later, I was moving my stuff into a second-floor room at a hotel you wouldn’t visit under normal circumstances unless you were up to no good or had no other choice. The first floor had been flooded. Six of us crammed into the room with two beds. It was first-come, first-serve on the beds, and everyone else on the floor, and mighty glad for it. At any rate, it beat the two nights sleeping in the cab of my truck, which had no second seat and was crammed too full of belongings to recline the front seats even a little.
I have often tried to explain to prospective adjusters what it is like to be deployed to a catastrophic event. “Deployment” is a term used more by the military than any other organization, and there are some real similarities:
- You are seeing the world, but after it is torn up and while it is a mess.
- You are entering a chaotic sone, where decisions are made on the fly and circumstances constantly change.
- You have allies but in many real ways, you are alone in the fight at critical times.
- You are likely to encounter hostiles, whether they are stressed-our or suspicious insureds, unscrupulous contractors, or public adjusters and attorneys.
- It is often largely a thankless job.
The real difference, hopefully, is that no one is shooting at you or trying to blow you up.
But to describe what it is like to be deployed to a cat, where you were 15–18 hour days, seven days per week, where you may not have the common conveniences of electricity or running water for a while, and where you are caught in the fog of war is not easy to do.
It is exhilarating and exhausting.
I tell anyone listening that when you are deployed, you adapt, and it is as if this is how the world works ,and you cannot imagine it another way.
But the minute they tell you that your work is done, you go home, and it is like it never happened, and the world works the way it did before you left it.
That is how it felt to me. When I was in it, I was in it. When I was done, I was done.
For some, there may be PTSD or other branded or unbranded form of fatigue.
How, then, do you take care of yourself when you have exhausted your mind, body, and spirit taking care of others? How do you come back from the storm?
Post-CAT Fatigue & Self‑Care
Managing burnout after deployments.
by Gene Strother
President, Adjust U
The Toll It Takes
Catastrophe adjusting is both a mission and a marathon. Most adjusters return from deployments not just tired—but altered. The long days, emotional strain, and chaotic conditions leave a mark, even if the adrenaline numbs it at first. The adjuster is changed by what he or she has seen, heard, and experienced.
🔹 According to a 2023 study by the International Association of Claims Professionals, 68% of catastrophe adjusters reported symptoms of burnout after a major deployment. Nearly half reported sleep disruption lasting over two weeks post-return.
“I came home and couldn’t sleep in my bed for days,” one veteran adjuster said. “The silence felt louder than the storm.”
Mind, Body, and Spirit: Reentry Is a Whole-System Shock
Here’s what gets impacted most, and how to respond:
🧠 Mental Health
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Symptoms: Irritability, detachment, hyper-vigilance, sadness
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What helps: Talking it out (peer debriefs and open discussions in the safety of your most treasured relationship), limiting caffeine (count me out), easing back into normal routines, counseling if needed
🛏️ Physical Health
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Symptoms: Poor sleep, fatigue, adrenal crash, inflammation
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What helps: Hydration, stretching, a few days off with gentle movement (not just lying flat!), magnesium + vitamin D (the sun has plenty of that: go one a walk, a hike, a bike ride, or for a swim)
🛐 Spiritual/Moral Fatigue
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Symptoms: “What’s the point?” feelings, cynicism, numbness. Becoming jaded is a real threat to those most exposed to the worst experiences and the worst side of humanity.
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What helps: Reconnection with meaningful people and practices, journaling, community or faith-based reconnection
✅ Checklist: Post-Deployment Recovery Protocol
| Task |
Done |
| Unplug for at least 24–48 hours |
☐ |
| Get 7–9 hours of sleep for three consecutive nights |
☐ |
| Drink at least 100 oz of water/day for a week |
☐ |
| Talk to at least one peer about the deployment |
☐ |
| Schedule a physical check-up |
☐ |
| Resume a hobby or activity unrelated to work |
☐ |
| Avoid alcohol for one week post-deployment |
☐ |
| Review notes/photos only when emotionally ready |
☐ |
| Begin light exercise (walking, stretching, yoga) |
☐ |
🗣️ Peer Voices Matter
A peer support program can be a game-changer. At Mid-America, we’ve seen firsthand how experienced adjusters talking to newer ones after deployment can prevent long-term fatigue.
“It’s one thing to tell your spouse you’re tired. It’s another to tell someone who slept on the floor next to you in Lake Charles after Laura,” said one MidAm adjuster.
If you’re interested in peer counseling or want to share your own story, drop us a note here.
📊 Data Snapshot: Burnout Risk by Deployment Length
| Days in Field |
% Reporting Moderate to Severe Fatigue |
| 0–14 days |
23% |
| 15–30 days |
52% |
| 31–60 days |
69% |
| 60+ days |
81% |
Source: Internal MidAmCAT survey, 2024, n=183 adjusters
🧭 Final Word: Resilience Is a Practice, Not a Trait
Coming back from a CAT isn’t just about getting rest. It’s about intentional reentry. Think of it like landing a plane—you don’t want to skip the checklist.
One thing my wife and I were able to do was to use the end of several events as an opportunity to explore an area we had not visited together before. She would plan a week or two of vacation and fly to where I was deployed, and we made a vacation of it. This is how we explored places like Philadelphia, Washington DC, New Orleans, and the Smoky Mountains for the first time together.
Suppose you are on a flight about to take off on a family vacation and the flight attendant is going over the typical contingencies in case the flight experiences a disruption. What do they tell you to to about oxygen masks? Out yours on first. You have to be able to breathe to help anyone else do so. Self-care isn’t selfish when you have the care of others in your heart.
Also…
The more you care for yourself between storms, the more storms you can successfully work, and the longer your career can thrive.
