Harlingen, Tx

Well, I really thought I would be able to blog a little more often, but no such luck!! Today I am able to blog because we got home before 8:30 or 9:00 and I don't have 3 claims to finish, or laundry to do. The last 2 nights have been very stressful and lots and lots of mental thinking, but thankfully we are getting to move closer to our claims tomorrow. We have been driving back and forth from McAllen to Harlingen everyday, to work, having NO motel rooms in a 50 mile radius, we are thankful we found a room closer to work. Our office for State Farm was set up in a old Michaels building right in the center of town so we too will have a office close to work out of. We go by the office at least once a day to retrieve messages and touch base with our many bosses their. This place is HUGE!! They set up a complete satelite office in 24 hours, it just seems so increcible to me to set back and watch how fast things can be done and still have everything available to 65 plus adjusters.
We scoped our first home on Monday morning and arrived to find incredible damages. The home had 1/2 of the roof totally gone and all the belongings wet, soggy, insulation, and all the personal property ruined. No electricity, water standing in all the light fixtures, water standing in the kitchen cabinets, mattresses soaked and mosquitos everywhere. It was so sad and the home owner still had a great big smile on his face and gave GOD the glory for saving his and his families lifes. Luckily everyone safe--.
We have experienced lots of "NEW" with this storm. Until now, we had never worked anything but regular home policies--we have had our first Farm Policy (2) homes, (2) barns--(1) home non liveable after the storm and (1) barn totally gone, which was a airplane hangar-made us think of Cory as we drove up!! These people did not use it as a hangar, didn't matter, it is gone. It was our first Policy Limit claim--meaning write the check for what they have it insured for---very interesting, you just never think it can really happen. The other first is Commercial work. We drove up to a 48 room medical building that (1) doctor was building to have his own business in. (2) story, 4000 SF on each floor and is to be used for a complete psychiatric clinic. (3) spas and physical therapy unit on the top floor. I had to sketch complete blueprints of building before accesssing any damages. I got it done after some lengthy mind checking, but thankfully the boss approved. Never thought I would be doing work that an architech does. As Curtis was taking photos that we needed I had the oppurtunity to visit with DR. Nanjappa himself, I ask him if he could tell how my mind was just visiting with him. He laughed and commented that he hoped my mind was sound--I would be the one determining his check amount!! lol. I have never, thankfully, had the chance to speak with a doctor of his mentality, but was very impressed and could have listened to his objectives thoughts on how our brains and our bodies do work.
I will post again this week with more updates and adventures--with some photos, I hope. We work with a State Farm computer and camera, so its hard to remember to get photos with our personal camera.
Unitl then........