To experience how the insurance industry is responding to the tornado that took out a large swath of Joplin, Mo. on May 22—the EF5's path through the city was nearly a mile wide and about 7 miles long— I “embedded” on June 7 with State Farm Insurance so I could witness the company's concerted response to the devastating storm that left more than 150 dead and 1,000 injured.
During my visit, I met with a local State Farm agent, Karen Rutledge, to hear how her agency has been dealing with this enormous catastrophe—and the profound impact it has had on her clients.
“The people walking in, the phone calls—it was just overwhelming. And the stories [were] so emotionally devastating that it was just very challenging for all of us to try to give them the comfort they needed, besides the help they needed—in the timely manner that we're accustomed to taking care of our customers,” Rutledge says, describing what the first 24 hours were like after the storm.
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