Average tornadoes move at less than 35 miles per hour and last just a few minutes, but yesterday a two-mile wide EF4 tornado packing 166 to 200 mph winds ripped through the suburbs of Oklahoma City for 40 minutes.

It left 24 people dead, but the toll is expected to rise as bodies are examined in the Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office. 240 more have been injured, including at least 60 children, and dozens are still missing.

“Insurance claims adjusters have already begun helping policyholders and will be within the disaster zone itself as soon as permitted while some insurers have already deployed their mobile claims units to the vicinity,” says Jim Whittle, chief claims counsel for the American Insurance Association (AIA).

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