Hurricane Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday morning near Matagorda, Texas with sustained winds of 80 mph. 

Customer Response Unit (CRU)

The State Farm Customer Response Unit (CRU) has deployed and is on the ground in Houston responding to support residents during the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.  CRU team members are driving around the impacted neighborhoods and handing out needed items such as bottled water, first aid kits and work gloves to anyone who needs it. 

The CRU team responds immediately following a disaster and navigates throughout impacted communities to provide in-person contact and friendly support. State Farm is there to support residents during this first and critical step on the road to recovery.  

Catastrophe Customer Care Sites

Catastrophe Customer Care Sites were established in the Houston Metro area, where home and auto claim handlers were onsite to assist policyholders with claim handling needs.

In addition to the teams of catastrophe claim specialists on the ground to evaluate damage, our Beryl response includes State Farm agents who live and work in the same neighborhoods as our customers. They are joined by thousands of employees in centralized care centers across the country virtually helping answer customers’ questions and file their claims. Our remote claim teams are able to conduct virtual inspections with impacted customers following the storm, helping them in their time of need.

Claim filing options for those with damage from Beryl

As residents discover damage from the storm, they are encouraged to file their claim as soon as possible to begin recovery. State Farm customers can submit and manage their claim through various channels: submitting a claim through our mobile app, calling or emailing their State Farm agent, calling 1-800-SFCLAIM, through our website at statefarm.com/claims, or text the word “CLAIM” to 62789 to receive a link to file a claim.  

Use of technology to reach customers in more ways

State Farm is making the most of technology to reach customers in more ways and make the process of resolving claims even faster and easier:

• Digital pay options allow for claim settlements to be direct-deposited into customers' bank accounts, getting funds to customers more quickly, whether or not banks are open.
• Customers are encouraged to use the State Farm Mobile App and online account access for many self-service options such as filing and tracking claims, uploading documents during the claims process, requesting emergency roadside service, setting up a rental car reservation and setting up digital pay. 

Tips for clean-up, recovery & claims process

When it is safe to do so, residents with property damage should have reasonable temporary repairs made to prevent further damage to their property to remove debris and cover any openings created by the storm. Depending on your coverage, these repairs may be reimbursed. Save receipts if you purchase items such as tarps and plywood or other supplies to make repairs. Keep track of the time and money you spend protecting your property.

• Document and photograph everything! To assist with the insurance claim process, be sure to document items that are damaged. You can do this by providing purchase receipts for the damaged items, photographing the items and by making a room-by-room inventory of missing or damaged goods. Don’t discard or repair anything prior to reporting the claim.
• If you decide to use a contractor, get a receipt for the cost of labor and materials to give your claim representative. Don't have any repair work done until you discuss with your claim representative. Also, preserve all building materials removed by any contractor or vendor until you speak with State Farm.
• Be careful before signing anything without fully reading the documents. Be diligent before signing anything with a vendor or contractor that solicits you directly and advises you to file a homeowner’s claim.

To provide the best possible service and response to customers who have damage from the tornado, the following are in place: 

• Catastrophe claims adjusters and support members are deploying and arriving on-site. Catastrophe claim teams will be actively making contact and providing initial claim handling efforts for our impacted customers with a focus on the most severe losses. Catastrophe Customer Care sites are being planned in the most impacted area to support claim handling efforts for local residents, additional details will be shared as available.
• The 1-800-SFCLAIM line is activated and available for customers to begin the claim reporting process, should they be unable to reach their local State Farm agent. 
• State Farm policyholders who have damage can submit and manage their claim through various channels. This includes calling or emailing their State Farm agent, calling 1-800-SFCLAIM, submitting a claim through our mobile app or through our website at statefarm.com/claims. Customers may also text the word “CLAIM” to 62789 to receive a link to file a claim.

Our response includes State Farm agents who live and work in the same neighborhoods as our customers, and teams of claim specialists trained in disaster response traveling in to evaluate damage on site. They are joined by thousands of employees in centralized care centers across the country helping answer customers’ questions and file their claims. Additionally, our remote claim teams are able to conduct virtual inspections with impacted customers following the storm, helping customers in their time of need. 

Our State Farm Customer Response Unit (CRU) is traveling throughout the impacted community. CRU team members and State Farm agents are distributing needed items such as bottled water, work gloves and other useful items for residents. The CRU team responds immediately following a disaster, and navigates throughout impacted areas to provide in-person contact and assistance to those in need. State Farm agents often ride along on the CRU, and can offer neighbors helpful information about filing their claim and insurance tips. State Farm is there to help residents during this first and critical step on the road to recovery.  

Tips for assessing tornado damage when safe to do so:

• Don't enter damaged buildings until they are declared safe and use extreme caution around debris. Wear appropriate clothing, like sturdy shoes or boots, long sleeves and gloves.
• Safely check your home or apartment for any signs of structure issues and hidden damage.
• Safely take pictures of your home's damage, inside and out.

Tips for making temporary repairs to damaged property:

When it is safe to do so, people with repairable/limited property damage should have reasonable temporary repairs made to prevent further damage to their property. Depending on your coverage, these repairs may be reimbursed. Save receipts if you purchase items such as tarps and plywood or other supplies to make repairs.  

In addition to the listed efforts below, State Farm has also issued two Disaster Recovery Grants to help those impacted by Hurricane Ida.

• $200,000 to support the local Red Cross chapter of Southeast Louisiana
• $50,000 to support Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans

What We’re Doing

Our catastrophe response team is currently assisting customers following Hurricane Ida. We are committed to handling each customer’s claim, bringing the necessary resources and the largest catastrophe response effort in the industry for the benefit of our customers. Here are some of the many ways State Farm is helping with Hurricane Ida relief efforts.

• State Farm agents, agent’s staff and local employees will be available to help customers with their claims as we begin recovery. We are mobilizing teams of claim adjusters, trained for disaster response, to be ready to respond all across the affected areas.
• State Farm policyholders who have damage from can submit and manage their claim through various channels. This includes calling or emailing their State Farm agent, calling 1-800-SFCLAIM, submitting a claim through our mobile app or through our website at statefarm.com/claims.
• In addition to our on-the-ground catastrophe response team, we also have thousands of employees handling claims across the country in our centralized operations – three Centralized Catastrophe Services (CCS) operations and our Initial Loss Reporting (ILR) teams.
  • Our CCS employees work closely with our “on-the-ground” team to efficiently handle our customers’ claims. Our ILR teams are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help our customers report losses and begin the claim process. Our ILR associates are available by phones, mobile app and Internet reporting.
     
• State Farm also has the advantage of a fleet of mobile claim handling facilities, innovatively designed to support our ability to provide optimal customer service even under challenging conditions. Vehicles will be deployed as catastrophe needs require.
• We are helping customers in more ways, and right now that means leveraging technology and offering virtual claim handling when appropriate.
• We encourage customers to take photos of all damage and have temporary repairs made to prevent further damage, but only if it’s safe to do so. And to keep their receipts for reimbursement. Customers with damage are urged to report their claim as soon as possible.
• Finally, State Farm is also helping with the recovery efforts with charitable grants to the Louisiana Red Cross and the Second Harvest Food Bank to help with immediate shelter, food, water, and clothing needs.