Tornadoes, Hail Combine for 20,000 Colorado Claims

Claims News Service, May 29, 9:17 a.m. – Tornado and hail activity combined last week to add up to Colorado’s fourth most expensive insured disaster in history.Based on preliminary estimates obtained from the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA), the damage from the hail, wind, and tornadoes have added up to an estimated 20,000 claims and $147 million in insured damage to cars and homes. Damage estimates were broken out into two different categories. Property claims were expected to reach 8,000, and they consist of glass and roof damage as well as homes ripped from their foundations and completely destroyed from the force of the tornado.On the auto side, RMIIA estimated 12,000 auto claims would consist of everything from hail dents on cars to totaled vehicles. Homeowners’ insurance covers damage from tornadoes, wind, and hail, while damage to vehicles is covered by comprehensive insurance on an auto policy.While Carole Walker, the executive director of RMIIA, wasn’t surprised by the storm activity, she expressed astonishment over the extent of damage from the tornado.

“It is common for Colorado to get hit with $100 million hail storms because they can cause damage to such a large area, pummeling thousands of cars and homes in a matter of minutes,” she said. “However, historically tornadoes haven’t caused this amount of costly damage in Colorado because they have touched down in less populated areas. Unfortunately, this time residents of Weld County were caught in the path of a devastating storm.”