She tried to hold back tears as she approached her husband and the insurance adjuster taking stock of the few belongings they had left after Hurricane Harvey made landfall. Her efforts to contain her emotions failed as the insurance adjuster turned to face her. Her tears were not for the lost belongings, but for her husband with terminal brain cancer. If only the floodwaters could鈥檝e washed away the medical bills.
For those sitting high and dry, the scene in Rockport, Texas, was unimaginable.
鈥淚 remember one day I looked down and I could鈥檝e sworn I put on tan pants that morning,鈥� said James Balman. 鈥淏ut my pants were almost completely black. I looked closer and my pant legs were just covered in mosquitos.鈥�
The damage, he said, was unlike anything you could imagine.
鈥淵ou see these boards that are just split in half, and they got that way because a regular sheet of printer paper gained enough velocity to slice it in two,鈥� he said.
Balman is an insurance adjuster and a (MID) student contributing to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. He is an independent adjuster, contracted by a variety of insurance agencies to help assess damages and accurately process insurance claims. The software he had been working on during his time at WSU is now making a difference to the citizens of Rockport, Texas.
鈥淵ou become very intimate with them, the people whose belongings you are assessing,鈥� said Balman. 鈥淵ou learn that there is no savings for stuff like this, and a lot of people don鈥檛 have the means to go anywhere.鈥�
The software Balman is working on makes it possible for insurance companies to assess structural damage to buildings with the help of drones, a much safer option than sending a person. The technology helps to determine shingle type, dimensions and overall damages. The images the drones capture accelerate the process of assigning funds based on insurance claims.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty rewarding to get down here and do it right. If you don鈥檛 do it right, it affects a lot of people.鈥�
鈥揓ames Balman
In the wake of a natural disaster, people like Balman have more work than one person should reasonably be able to handle. He often works close to 24 hours at a time.
Even though Balman is running short on sleep and time off, he is committed to doing the work right.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty rewarding to get down here and do it right,鈥� said Balman. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 do it right, it affects a lot of people.鈥�
Even though Balman isn鈥檛 at WSU this semester, his work in Texas is earning him a credit toward his degree, as well as valuable applied learning experience, says Jeremy Patterson, director of the MID program.
鈥淭he MID program is about teamwork, leadership and decision making to overcome challenges, and this experience will certainly impact how he moves products or services forward in the future,鈥� Patterson says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to his return and being able to share and reflect on the past couple months and continuing the impact by collaborating with classmates.鈥�