Virginia

Keeping the Promise - Gloucester tornado damages new client’s property

When Agent Colin Owens persuaded a Gloucester, Va., entrepreneur to switch from a competitor to State Farm® 10 months ago, he did so by promising to keep the lines of communication open.

The entrepreneur agreed to switch - as long as Colin promised to be there when it mattered.

Then came April 16 - and, boy, did it matter. One of the worst tornado outbreaks in history pounded parts of the Mid-Atlantic Zone, killing 22 people in North Carolina and Virginia and causing millions in damages. In Gloucester, there were two fatalities and damages of nearly $8 million.

Colin’s phone rang at 9:30 p.m.

“The call kept cutting in and out, and I could hear the heavy rain in the background, but I was able to make out his first name, and I knew who it was.”

Frantic, the customer was on his way home from out of town. He’d been told that his property, located on the York River, had suffered a lot of damage. What should he do? And, more importantly, what was Colin going to do?

Thinking of the promise he’d made just a few months before, Colin knew this was his time to prove State Farm’s - and his own - mettle.

He would be there first thing Sunday morning - with backup.

Arriving at the property, Colin was accompanied by Allyson Sykes, an Auto estimatics inspector from Virginia Beach, driving a large white van.

“It wasn’t just me on the scene. I had reinforcements,” Colin said. “When we got out, you could see the sense of relief on his face. It was like, ‘Ahh. I’ve got help.’ ”

The home was undamaged, the barn had limbs stuck through the walls like darts, the doors to the detached brick garage were blown off and the windows broken out, two fences were destroyed, and the tennis courts were damaged.

“I knew what we needed to do, but also wanted to make sure we met his expectations.”

Colin spent time at the property. By Tuesday, the entrepreneur had been contacted by claims, the roof on the barn was patched, and other repairs are scheduled.

“Right now, he’s extremely happy and is singing the Company’s praises,” Colin said. “Everything’s been done except writing out the checks to pay for the repairs. The Lord blessed his house. Everyone was safe, and everything else can be repaired. He was lucky.”

Colin said he wants his customers to know they can hold him accountable - whether it’s a millionaire or the guy next door.

“I believe that’s the biggest piece we can own as agents,” he said. “If you want to grab my shirt as you vent or high-five me, I’m there for you. In person.”

Gloucester Agent Treye Hardaway agrees.

“I spent hours just dropping by my customers’ homes to make sure they were okay. I’m paid to be there when it matters. That’s my job.”

Treye’s clients did not suffer much damage, but they were shaken and happy to see him on Sunday.

“This is a close knit community where everybody is eager to help. None of my customers had a Type 1 category loss, but as I rode up and down the streets in my wrapped Jeep, people flagged me down and asked me how their recovery process was going to work - whether I was their agent or not.”

Many people with long tree-lined driveways were trapped at home because of all the downed trees blocking their exit.

Looking at the minimal damage at one house when the one next door has its roof ripped off or is totally missing made people aware of how arbitrary and dangerous tornadoes can be.

“There were books from Page Middle School found five miles away in the woods. Fortunately, this happened on a Saturday because the school’s usually busy with some type of activity day and night.”

Despite their suffering, Treye said people are busy helping their neighbors recover.

“The utility company is working around the clock, the Gloucester High School baseball team is working on downed trees, everyone’s doing what they can.”

Treye said it appears that the tornado picked up steam when it crossed the York River, racing along at 55 miles per hour on a 30-mile tear from Gloucester to Deltaville, with winds up to 130 mph.

“It’s funny - we’re more worried about hurricanes than tornadoes around here. We have more time to prepare for a hurricane …We’ll get through this. It will take a while, but we’ll make it.”