Representatives from State Farm and Allstate, the number one and number three home insurers in the state, in terms of direct written premium, said it is still too early to know the extent of the damage or the number of claims from Hurricane Dennis. However, both are gearing up to handle the situation with cadres of claims representatives and other personal.

A spokeswoman for Bloomington, Ill.-based State Farm said the company has sent 200 employees into the affected areas, in addition to employees already living and working in the state, with an additional 400 going in later.

Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate's spokesman said the company is sending 700 adjusters into the area and eight mobile response units.

While no insurers' figures are available yet, modelers have produced estimates of insured losses that vary widely. EQECAT, based in Oakland, Calif., released an estimate that put insured losses between $3 billion and $8 billion. But that estimate was released as the storm was gaining strength through Saturday into Sunday.

AIR, in Boston, basing its estimate on the category 3 conditions--sustained winds between 111 and 130 mph--put its estimates at between $1 billion and $2.5 billion.

Newark, Calif.-based Risk Management Solutions put damage estimates at between $1 billion and $5 billion.

The damage estimates pale in comparison to last year's Hurricane Ivan, which was one of four hurricanes to hit Florida last year. Ivan is the third costliest storm to hit the U.S., with estimated insured losses of more than $7 billion.