BLOOMINGTON, Illinois, September 5, 2008 -- Rain gear is dried out. Laptop computer batteries are charged. Dry socks and a few clean "State Farm Catastrophe Services®" shirts have been packed into well-worn suitcases. As residents of Louisiana and Mississippi are beginning to clean up their homes from Hurricane Gustav damage, the nation's largest insurer of cars and homes is ready for the next wave of storms.
The claims process in Gustav-impacted areas is going very well, according to State Farm officials. More than 23,000 homeowner and 2,800 auto claims have been received. While power is still out in large areas, State Farm Operation Centers are up and running and claims personnel are beginning to inspect policyholder homes. In addition to Louisiana and Mississippi, some Gustav-related claims have been filed in Texas, Alabama, Florida and Arkansas.
On the east coast, State Farm has already assembled claims personnel and resources to assist its customers in coastal North and South Carolina for Tropical Storm Hanna's anticipated landfall this weekend.
Hurricane Ike has the potential to be a destructive storm. Hundreds of claim team members are now joining State Farm agents and local claim representatives in Florida to respond should Ike make landfall. Personnel are staging in safe areas and making final logistical and technical preparations.
State Farm has the largest claims staff in the insurance industry, which allows it to keep its Good Neighbor promise to help customers recover from the unexpected even when multiple disasters strike.
For questions or more information, contact Jeff McCollum, Public Affairs, at (309) 766-0307.
About State Farm
State Farm® insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 67,000 employees serve over 77 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.9 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 32 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.