Insurers are beginning to size up the extent of damage left in the wake of storms that produced dozens of tornadoes that struck several Central Plains states, hail that caused damage in Texas, and strong winds and lightning in Georgia.
Steve Witmer, spokesman for American Family Insurance in Madison, Wisc., says the insurer has “declared a catastrophe operation” in the La Crosse, Wisc. area, meaning additional resources are being sent in to deal with the expected influx of property-insurance claims from wind and hail.
Other areas of Wisconsin affected are Kaukauna and Fox Valley, he adds.
“We're getting our ducks in a row right now, checking in with local claims offices to assess what kind of volume they can expect to see,” says Witmer.
Damage reports are also coming out of Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. A strong tornado in Mapleton, Iowa, caused extensive damage to the small town. The National Weather Service (NWS) says more than two dozen tornadoes were reported in Iowa during the storm that began April 9.
The area has been hit by multiple storms since April 2. Witmer says wind and hail from the April storms have caused 5,800 property claims and 2,360 auto claims in Kansas and Missouri, including the Kansas City metro area; 2,500 property claims in the Madison, Wis. area; 1,090 property claims and 675 auto claims in the La Crosse, Wis. area; and 1,010 property claims in northeastern Wisconsin.
Ann Avery, spokeswoman for State Farm, says the insurer has already received 500 homeowners and 400 automobile claims from Wisconsin, 150 homeowners and 150 auto claims out of Iowa, and another 150 homeowners claims and 200 auto claims from Minnesota and Nebraska combined.
In Texas, residents of the Dallas/Fort Worth area were hammered by large hail and strong winds late April 10 into April 11. The NWS confirms four tornadoes. Numerous reports of wind damage to homes and businesses as well as downed trees were reported in Kaufman, Johnson, Ellis, Hunt, Denton, Collin and Hopkins counties.
The Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) says the storms are expected to cause $100 million in insured losses.
In Georgia, Insurance Commissioner Ralph T. Hudgens says deadly storms that struck the state have caused insured losses of about $50 million.
State Farm spokesman Justin Tomczak says strong, straight-line winds and some hail throughout the state have generated more than 1,800 claims. “There is no one, central affected area,” Tomczak says. “The damage is scattered everywhere.”
Claims have also been filed due to fire started by lightning strikes, Tomczak reports.
The NWS says the storm system produced strong winds, heavy rain, pea- to baseball-sized hail, and one tornado. Georgia was not the only state affected, as damage reports have come from states throughout the Southeast.
The NWS has confirmed that a tornado carrying winds of 130 mph touched down in Eastman, Ga., killing one.
Downed trees fell on top of houses and vehicles, reports the NWS. Fallen trees reportedly killed six people. Other deaths have been reported in Mississippi and Tennessee.
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