1
 Toni Johnson pulls a tape measure across the front of what was once a stately Victorian home.
5004
span

2
 A deep trench now runs along its north wall,
5002
span

3
 exposed 
5001
span

4
when the house lurched two feet off its foundation during last week's earthquake.
3
consequence-s

5
 A side porch was ripped away.
5003
List

6
 The chimney is a pile of bricks on the front lawn.
5003
List

7
 The remainder of the house leans precariously against a sturdy oak tree.
5003
List

8
 The petite, 29-year-old Ms. Johnson,
5006
span

9
 dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt
5005
span

10
 as she slogs through the steady afternoon rain,
9
circumstance

11
 is a claims adjuster with Aetna Life &amp; Casualty.
5007
Same-Unit

12
 She has been on the move almost incessantly since last Thursday,
5011
span

13
 when an army of adjusters,
5009
span

14
 employed by major insurers,
13
elaboration-additional-e

15
 invaded the San Francisco area
5008
span

16
 to help policyholders sift through the rubble and restore some order to their lives.
15
purpose

17
 Equipped with cellular telephones, laptop computers, calculators and a pack of blank checks,
5014
circumstance

18
 they parcel out money 
5014
span

19
so their clients can find temporary living quarters,
5013
List

20
 buy food,
5013
List

21
 replace lost clothing,
5013
List

22
 repair broken water heaters,
5013
List

23
 and replaster walls.
5013
List

24
 Some of the funds will used 
5019
span

25
to demolish unstable buildings 
5018
List

26
and clear sites for future construction.
5018
List

27
 Many adjusters are authorized to write checks for amounts up to $100,000 on the spot.
5021
span

28
 They don't flinch at writing them.
27
elaboration-additional

29
 That's my job 
5022
span

30
-- get {policyholders} what they're entitled to,
29
elaboration-object-attribute-e

31
 says Bill Schaeffer, a claims supervisor
5023
span

32
 who flew in from Aetna 's Bridgeport, Conn., office.
31
elaboration-additional-e

33
 The Victorian house
5027
span

34
 that Ms. Johnson is inspecting
33
elaboration-object-attribute-e

35
 has been deemed unsafe by town officials.
5028
Same-Unit

36
 But she asks a workman 
5029
span

37
toting the bricks from the lawn
36
elaboration-additional-e

38
 to give her a boost through an open first-floor window.
5030
Same-Unit

39
 Once inside, she spends nearly four hours
5032
span

40
 measuring and diagramming each room in the 80-year-old house,
39
manner

41
 gathering enough information 
42
enablement

42
to estimate what it would cost to rebuild it.
5033
span

43
 She snaps photos of the buckled floors and the plaster 
5035
span

44
that has fallen away from the walls.
43
elaboration-object-attribute-e

45
 While she works inside,
5039
temporal-same-time

46
 a tenant returns with several friends
5039
span

47
 to collect furniture and clothing.
46
purpose

48
 One of the friends sweeps broken dishes and shattered glass from a countertop
5041
List

49
 and starts to pack what can be salvaged from the kitchen.
5041
List

50
 Others grab books, records, photo albums, sofas and chairs,
5043
span

51
 working frantically in the fear 
5042
span

52
that an aftershock will jolt the house again.
51
elaboration-object-attribute-e

53
 The owners, William and Margie Hammack, are luckier than many others.
5051
span

54
 A few years ago, Mrs. Hammack insisted on buying earthquake insurance for this house,
5048
span

55
 which had been converted into apartments.
54
elaboration-additional-e

56
 Only about 20% of California home and business owners carried earthquake coverage.
5048
concession

57
 The Hammacks' own home, also in Los Gatos, suffered comparatively minor damage.
5050
List

58
 Ms. Johnson,
5053
span

59
 who works out of Aetna's office in Walnut Creek, an East Bay suburb,
58
elaboration-additional-e

60
 is awed by the earthquake's destructive force.
5054
Same-Unit

61
 It really brings you down to a human level,
5055
span

62
 she says.
61
attribution

63
 It's hard to accept all the suffering 
5057
span

64
people are going through,
63
elaboration-object-attribute-e

65
 but you have to.
5058
Contrast

66
 If you don't,
67
condition

67
 you can't do your job.
5059
span

68
 For Aetna and other insurers, the San Francisco earthquake hit
5073
span

69
 when resources in the field already were stretched.
68
temporal-same-time

70
 Most companies still are trying to sort through the wreckage 
5064
span

71
caused by Hurricane Hugo in the Carolinas last month.
70
elaboration-object-attribute-e

72
 Aetna,
5065
span

73
 which has nearly 3,000 adjusters,
72
elaboration-object-attribute-e

74
 had deployed about 750 of them in Charlotte, Columbia, and Charleston.
5066
Same-Unit

75
 Adjusters
5067
span

76
 who had been working on the East Coast
75
elaboration-object-attribute-e

77
 say 
5068
Same-Unit

78
the insurer will still be processing claims from that storm through December.
5069
span

79
 It could take six to nine months to handle the earthquake-related claims.
5072
hypothetical

80
 When the earthquake rocked northern California last week,
5076
temporal-same-time

81
 Aetna senior claims executives from the San Francisco area were at the company 's Hartford, Conn., headquarters for additional training
5076
span

82
 on how to handle major catastrophes,
5075
span

83
 including earthquakes.
82
elaboration-set-member-e

84
 Since commercial airline flights were disrupted,
5080
reason

85
 the company chartered three planes 
5080
span

86
to fly these executives back to the West Coast
5079
List

87
 and bring along portable computers, cellular phones and some claims adjusters.
5079
List

88
 Because of the difficulty
5084
span

89
 of assessing the damages
5083
span

90
 caused by the earthquake,
89
elaboration-object-attribute-e

91
 Aetna pulled together a team of its most experienced claims adjusters from around the country.
5085
span

92
 Even so, few had ever dealt with an earthquake.
5086
Contrast

93
 Some adjusters, like Alan Singer of San Diego, had been working in Charleston for nearly four weeks.
5087
temporal-after

94
 He returned home last Thursday,
5087
List

95
 packed a bag with fresh clothes 
5087
List

96
and reported for duty Friday in Walnut Creek.
5087
List

97
 Offices were set up in San Francisco and San Jose.
5090
elaboration-additional

98
 In a few instances, Aetna knew 
5092
attribution

99
it would probably be shelling out big bucks,
5092
span

100
 even before a client called or faxed in a claim.
99
temporal-before

101
 For example, officials at Walnut Creek office learned 
5095
attribution

102
that the Amfac Hotel near the San Francisco airport,
5094
span

103
 which is insured by Aetna,
102
elaboration-object-attribute-e

104
 was badly damaged
5095
Same-Unit

105
 when they saw it on network television news.
5097
Temporal-Same-Time

106
 The secret
5100
span

107
 to being a good adjuster 
106
elaboration-object-attribute-e

108
is counting,
5101
Same-Unit

109
 says Gerardo Rodriguez, an Aetna adjuster from Santa Ana.
5101
attribution

110
 You have to count everything.
5103
span

111
 Adjusters must count the number of bathrooms, balconies, fireplaces, chimneys, microwaves and dishwashers.
110
elaboration-general-specific

112
 But they must also assign a price to each of these items as well as to floors, wallcoverings, roofing and siding,
5107
span

113
 to come up with a total value for a house.
112
purpose

114
 To do that,
115
purpose

115
 they must think in terms of sheetrock by the square foot, carpeting by the square yard, wallpaper by the roll, molding by the linear foot.
5109
span

116
 Using a calculator and a unit-price guide for such jobs as painting, plumbing and roofing in each major region of the country,
5112
circumstance

117
 adjusters can figure out the value of a home in today's market and what it would cost
5112
span

118
 to rebuild it.
117
elaboration-object-attribute-e

119
 Sometimes repairs are out of the question.
5126
span

120
 When Aetna adjuster Bill Schaeffer visited a retired couple in Oakland last Thursday,
5114
circumstance

121
 he found them living in a mobile home 
5114
span

122
parked in front of their yard.
121
elaboration-object-attribute-e

123
 The house itself,
5117
span

124
 located about 50 yards from the collapsed section of double-decker highway Interstate 880,
123
elaboration-additional-e

125
 was pushed about four feet off its foundation
5116
Sequence

126
 and then collapsed into its basement.
5116
Sequence

127
 The next day, Mr. Schaeffer presented the couple with a check for $151,000
5120
span

128
 to help them build a new home in the same neighborhood.
127
purpose

129
 He also is working with a real-estate agent
5123
span

130
 to help find them an apartment
5121
span

131
 to rent 
5122
span

132
while their home is being built.
131
temporal-same-time

133
 Many of the adjusters
5130
span

134
 employed by Aetna and other insurers
133
elaboration-object-attribute-e

135
 have some experience with construction work or carpentry.
5131
Same-Unit

136
 But such skills were alien to Toni Johnson.
5132
span

137
 Four years ago, she was managing a film-processing shop 
5133
List

138
and was totally bored.
5133
List

139
 A friend mentioned
5135
attribution

140
 that she might want to look into a position at Aetna,
5135
span

141
 if she was interested in a job 
5134
span

142
that would constantly challenge her.
141
elaboration-object-attribute-e

143
 She signed up,
5141
span

144
 starting as an inside adjuster,
5140
span

145
 who settles minor claims
5139
List

146
 and does a lot of work by phone.
5139
List

147
 A year later, she moved to the commercial property claims division.
5146
Sequence

148
 She spent a month at an Aetna school in Gettysburg, Pa.,
5148
span

149
 learning all about the construction trade,
5147
span

150
 including masonry, plumbing and electrical wiring.
149
elaboration-set-member-e

151
 That was followed by three months at the Aetna Institute in Hartford,
5149
span

152
 where she was immersed in learning how to read and interpret policies.
151
elaboration-object-attribute-e

153
 Her new line of work has some perils.
5155
span

154
 Recently, a contractor saved her from falling three stories
5151
span

155
 as she investigated what remained of an old Victorian house
5150
span

156
 torched by an arsonist.
155
elaboration-object-attribute-e

157
 I owe that contractor.
5153
span

158
 I really do, 
5152
span

159
she says.
158
attribution

160
 As Ms. Johnson stands outside the Hammack house 
5157
span

161
after winding up her chores there,
160
temporal-after

162
 the house begins to creak and sway.
5158
span

163
 The ground shakes underneath her.
5159
Temporal-Same-Time

164
 It is an aftershock, one of about 2,000 since the earthquake,
5159
explanation-argumentative

165
 and it makes her uneasy.
5160
consequence-s

166
 The next day,
5166
Same-Unit

167
 as she prepares a $10,000 check for the Hammacks,
5164
span

168
 which will cover the cost
5163
span

169
 of demolishing the house 
5162
List

170
and clearing away the debris,
5162
List

171
 she jumps at the slightest noise.
5165
span

172
 On further reflection, she admits 
173
attribution

173
that venturing inside the Hammacks ' house the previous day wasn't such a great idea.
5168
span

174
 During her second meeting with the Hammacks, Ms. Johnson reviews exactly what their policy covers.
5209
span

175
 They would like to retrieve some appliances on the second floor,
5173
Contrast

176
 but wonder
177
attribution

177
 if it's safe to venture inside.
5172
span

178
 Ms. Johnson tells them 
5175
attribution

179
that,
5175
Same-Unit

180
 if the appliances can't be salvaged,
181
condition-e

181
 their policy covers the replacement cost.
5174
span

182
 Mr. Hammack is eager to know 
5178
attribution

183
what Aetna will pay for the house,
5178
span

184
 which has to come down.
183
elaboration-object-attribute-e

185
 When will I get that check for a million dollars ?
5180
span

186
 he jokes.
185
attribution

187
 The adjuster hadn't completed all the calculations,
5182
antithesis

188
 but says 
5184
attribution

189
: We 're talking policy limits.
5184
span

190
 In this case, that's about $250,000.
189
elaboration-general-specific-e

191
 It suddenly dawns on Mr. Hammack 
5186
attribution

192
that rebuilding the house in Los Gatos, an affluent community in Santa Clara County, may cost
5186
span

193
 more than Aetna's policy will pay.
192
comparison

194
 We can lose money on this, 
5188
span

195
he says.
194
attribution

196
 And you didn't want me to buy earthquake insurance,
5191
span

197
 says Mrs. Hammack,
5192
span

198
 reaching across the table 
5190
List

199
and gently tapping his hand.
5190
List

200
 Earthquake insurance costs about $to $ annually for every $1,000 of value,
5194
List

201
 and high deductibles mean it generally pays
5193
span

202
 only when there is a catastrophe.
201
condition

203
 So, many Californians believe 
5195
attribution

204
they can get by
5195
span

205
 without it.
204
circumstance

206
 Even Ms. Johnson herself made that assumption.
5201
span

207
 I always knew
5198
attribution

208
 that the ` Big One ' was coming,
5198
Contrast

209
 but not during my lifetime, 
5198
Contrast

210
she says.
5199
attribution

211
 Now she says
212
attribution

212
 she's thinking of contacting her own insurance agent.
5202
span

213
 For Ms. Johnson, dealing with the earthquake has been more than just a work experience.
5220
span

214
 She lives in Oakland, a community
5212
span

215
 hit hard by the earthquake.
214
elaboration-object-attribute-e

216
 She didn't have hot water for five days.
5217
List

217
 The apartment
5213
span

218
 she shares with a 12-year-old daughter and her sister 
217
elaboration-object-attribute-e

219
was rattled,
5214
Same-Unit

220
 books and crystal hit the floor,
5215
List

221
 but nothing was severely damaged.
5215
antithesis

222
 Her sister, Cynthia, wishes
223
attribution

223
 Toni had a different job.
5219
span

224
 We worry about her out there, 
5221
span

225
Cynthia says.
224
attribution

226
 Last Sunday, Ms. Johnson finally got a chance 
5224
span

227
to water her plants,
226
elaboration-object-attribute-e

228
 but stopped abruptly.
5225
span

229
 I realized
5228
attribution

230
 I couldn't waste this water
5228
span

231
 when there are people in Watsonville 
5227
span

232
who don't have fresh water
5226
span

233
 to drink.
232
elaboration-object-attribute-e

234
 She hasn't played any music 
5233
span

235
since the earthquake hit,
234
temporal-after-e

236
 out of respect for those 
5232
span

237
who died on Interstate 880 
5231
span

238
where the roadway collapsed.
237
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5001
span
2
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5002
span
5003
List

5003
multinuc
1
elaboration-additional

5004
span
5017
span

5005
span
8
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5006
span
5007
Same-Unit

5007
multinuc
5012
span

5008
span
5010
Same-Unit

5009
span
5010
Same-Unit

5010
multinuc
5016
span

5011
span
5007
elaboration-additional

5012
span
5004
elaboration-additional

5013
multinuc
18
purpose

5014
span
5015
span

5015
span
5020
span

5016
span
12
circumstance

5017
span
5047
span

5018
multinuc
24
purpose

5019
span
5015
elaboration-additional

5020
span
5026
span

5021
span
5025
span

5022
span
5024
span

5023
span
5022
attribution

5024
span
5021
example

5025
span
5020
elaboration-additional

5026
span
5010
elaboration-additional

5027
span
5028
Same-Unit

5028
multinuc
5037
antithesis

5029
span
5030
Same-Unit

5030
multinuc
5037
Sequence

5031
span



5032
span
5034
span

5033
span
5032
elaboration-additional

5034
span
5036
span

5035
span
5034
elaboration-additional

5036
span
5037
Sequence

5037
multinuc
5238
span

5038
span



5039
span
5040
span

5040
span
5045
span

5041
multinuc
5044
List

5042
span
50
elaboration-additional

5043
span
5044
List

5044
multinuc
5040
elaboration-additional

5045
span
5046
Temporal-Same-Time

5046
multinuc
5017
elaboration-additional

5047
span
5052
span

5048
span
5049
span

5049
span
5050
List

5050
multinuc
53
explanation-argumentative

5051
span
5047
elaboration-additional

5052
span
5062
span

5053
span
5054
Same-Unit

5054
multinuc
5056
span

5055
span
5054
elaboration-additional

5056
span
5061
span

5057
span
5058
Contrast

5058
multinuc
5059
evaluation-n

5059
span
5060
span

5060
span
5056
elaboration-additional

5061
span
5052
elaboration-additional

5062
span
5129
Topic-Drift

5063
span



5064
span
5071
span

5065
span
5066
Same-Unit

5066
multinuc
5070
span

5067
span
5068
Same-Unit

5068
multinuc
78
attribution

5069
span
5066
elaboration-additional

5070
span
5064
example

5071
span
5072
span

5072
span
5074
span

5073
span
5071
circumstance

5074
span
5077
circumstance

5075
span
81
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5076
span
5077
span

5077
span
5078
span

5078
span
5082
span

5079
multinuc
85
purpose

5080
span
5081
span

5081
span
5078
elaboration-additional

5082
span
5090
span

5083
span
88
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5084
span
91
reason

5085
span
5086
Contrast

5086
multinuc
5089
span

5087
multinuc
5088
span

5088
span
5086
example

5089
span
5082
elaboration-additional

5090
span
5091
span

5091
span
5099
span

5092
span
5093
span

5093
span
5098
span

5094
span
5095
Same-Unit

5095
multinuc
5096
span

5096
span
5097
Temporal-Same-Time

5097
multinuc
5093
example

5098
span
5091
elaboration-additional

5099
span
5111
span

5100
span
5101
Same-Unit

5101
multinuc
5102
span

5102
span
5105
span

5103
span
5108
span

5104
span



5105
span
5099
elaboration-additional

5106
span



5107
span
5110
span

5108
span
5102
elaboration-additional

5109
span
5107
elaboration-additional

5110
span
5103
elaboration-additional

5111
span
5128
span

5112
span
5113
span

5113
span
5127
Contrast

5114
span
5115
span

5115
span
5119
span

5116
multinuc
5118
Same-Unit

5117
span
5118
Same-Unit

5118
multinuc
5115
elaboration-additional

5119
span
5125
span

5120
span
5124
span

5121
span
129
purpose

5122
span
130
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5123
span
5120
elaboration-additional

5124
span
5119
elaboration-additional

5125
span
119
example

5126
span
5127
Contrast

5127
multinuc
5111
elaboration-additional

5128
span
5129
Topic-Drift

5129
multinuc



5130
span
5131
Same-Unit

5131
multinuc
136
antithesis

5132
span
5143
span

5133
multinuc
5132
elaboration-additional

5134
span
140
condition

5135
span
5136
span

5136
span
5144
span

5137
span



5138
span



5139
multinuc
144
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5140
span
143
elaboration-additional-e

5141
span
5145
span

5142
span



5143
span
5136
circumstance

5144
span
5141
consequence-n

5145
span
5146
Sequence

5146
multinuc
5155
circumstance

5147
span
148
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5148
span
5146
Sequence

5149
span
5146
Sequence

5150
span
154
circumstance

5151
span
5154
span

5152
span
157
elaboration-additional

5153
span
5151
elaboration-additional

5154
span
153
evidence

5155
span
5156
span

5156
span
5211
circumstance

5157
span
162
temporal-same-time

5158
span
5159
Temporal-Same-Time

5159
multinuc
5160
span

5160
span
5161
span

5161
span
5167
Sequence

5162
multinuc
168
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5163
span
167
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5164
span
171
circumstance-e

5165
span
5166
Same-Unit

5166
multinuc
5167
Sequence

5167
multinuc
5211
span

5168
span
5167
comment

5169
span



5170
span
5210
span

5171
span



5172
span
5173
Contrast

5173
multinuc
5177
Problem-Solution

5174
span
5175
Same-Unit

5175
multinuc
5176
span

5176
span
5177
Problem-Solution

5177
multinuc
5185
circumstance

5178
span
5179
span

5179
span
5181
span

5180
span
5179
elaboration-additional

5181
span
5185
Question-Answer

5182
span
5183
span

5183
span
5185
Question-Answer

5184
span
5182
span

5185
multinuc
5208
span

5186
span
5187
span

5187
span
5189
span

5188
span
5187
hypothetical

5189
span
5206
span

5190
multinuc
197
elaboration-additional

5191
span
5205
span

5192
span
196
attribution

5193
span
5194
List

5194
multinuc
5196
reason

5195
span
5196
span

5196
span
5197
span

5197
span
5204
span

5198
multinuc
5199
span

5199
span
5200
span

5200
span
206
elaboration-additional

5201
span
5203
Contrast

5202
span
5203
Contrast

5203
multinuc
5197
example

5204
span
5191
elaboration-additional

5205
span
5189
elaboration-additional

5206
span
5207
span

5207
span
174
elaboration-general-specific

5208
span
5206
consequence-n

5209
span
5170
elaboration-additional

5210
span
5237
span

5211
span
5170
span

5212
span
5218
span

5213
span
5214
Same-Unit

5214
multinuc
5215
List

5215
multinuc
5216
span

5216
span
5217
List

5217
multinuc
5212
evidence

5218
span
213
elaboration-additional

5219
span
5222
span

5220
span
5223
span

5221
span
5219
elaboration-additional

5222
span
5220
elaboration-additional

5223
span
5236
span

5224
span
228
antithesis

5225
span
5230
span

5226
span
231
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5227
span
230
circumstance

5228
span
5229
span

5229
span
5225
reason

5230
span
5235
List

5231
span
236
elaboration-object-attribute-e

5232
span
5234
Same-Unit

5233
span
5234
Same-Unit

5234
multinuc
5235
List

5235
multinuc
5223
evidence

5236
span
5210
elaboration-additional

5237
span
5129
Topic-Drift

5238
span
5046
Temporal-Same-Time

