(Bloomberg) -- Craig Reeves had been in Rockport, Texas, barely 48 hours when he ducked into the gloomy threshold of the condominium, which was darkened by blinds pulled before Hurricane Harvey and filled with a humid, mildewy funk.
Reeves, a catastrophe claims adjuster for State Farm, crunched over glass shards in his steel-toed boots, stepping over a wet towel, a bottle of Febreze and a copy of Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden.” He made his way past the kitchen, its cupboard doors curling, and into the living room with its soaked teddy bear, upended sewing machine, dog kennel and deck chairs. Reeves lifted the shades, letting in the sunlight that would help him take account of the destruction of Jeannie Jurischk’s home.
Related: Returning home after Hurricane Harvey
|Adjusters are on the front lines
Hurricane Harvey inflicted damage on 1.7 million homes that could top $11.5 billion in insured losses, according to CoreLogic Inc., and workers like Reeves are on the front lines. State Farm, the biggest private home and auto insurer in Texas, alone had 32,500 property claims to handle as of Monday. It deployed more than 1,000 adjusters to the Gulf Coast, and erected a disaster tent, portable toilets and a satellite-equipped recreational vehicle along the freeway in Corpus Christi, 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Rockport.
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