The Oklahoma Insurance Department says payments from the devastating May tornado outbreak across central Oklahoma have now topped $1 billion.
“These numbers are staggering, and the rebuilding is just beginning,” says Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak. “The amounts go up every week [from] this major catastrophe that has impacted thousands of Oklahomans.”
Some survivors are still dealing with insurance and construction issues that cannot be resolved quickly, but Doak says the department will be there for policyholders “until the last claim is paid.” Since May 19, nearly 91,000 claims have been filed; however, some remain unresolved—which is not uncommon 3 to 4 months after a large-scale disaster.
The Oklahoma Emergency Management Office adds that there were 56 tornadoes during May in the state. This included an EF-4 tornado hitting Shawnee on May 19 and an EF-5—the most powerful—striking Moore on May 20. There were 387 injuries from the tornadoes during the week of May 19-25, along with another 121 injuries caused by tornadoes and flooding during May 28-June 1.
The death count from the Moore tornado stands at 25 after a 90-year-old woman died of injuries sustained during the disaster. The tornado also demolished the Plaza Towers Elementary School, tragically killing seven children.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
