Antonette Consalvi

State Farm gave me an opportunity as a new college graduate, and I started work at our corporate office in Bloomington. The 80's were times of high unemployment and a great deal of financial uncertainty so I was grateful to the opportunity. As the years went on, I was able to take advantage of many developmental opportunities and pursue various career challenges. I'm reaching my 20 the year as an agent in River Forest and I carry those experiences with me in my daily work.

The wildfires in California are bringing back memories of when Hurricane Andrew devastated Florida in 1992. I was working at our corporate office, and we watched footage from our claims partners as the catastrophe unfolded and they worked long hours in difficult circumstances. Images of the State Farm response team rolling out of the storage facilities in Bloomington is etched in my mind as semi-trucks full of supplies headed south. Agents were setting up folding tables and chairs in their bare parking lots and writing drafts to give people payments under the additional living expenses coverage on their policies. It was then that I started to understand the horror of what people face. The path to rebuild is long. Technology certainly helps, but the emotional tole is still as awful.

We have not experienced this type of loss in Illinois, and I hope we never do. Understanding your coverage and purchasing the protection you feel you need is the first step in keeping something an aggravation instead of a devastation. My team and are backed by State Farm's financial strength and can help.