Depending on which model is used, the damage estimates from Hurricane Harvey range from $15 billion in insured losses to total property damage estimates of $75 billion for flood damage alone. Add in wind and storm surge, and the numbers increase by another several billion dollars. Bottom line – Hurricane Harvey caused a significant amount of damage and insurers and modelers are still trying to determine the full scope of the destruction.

Actual numbers will probably not be available for months, but some modelers are providing data that allows their clients to begin planning how to assign their resources to different areas. Catastrophe (CAT) teams for multiple insurers have descended on Houston and other parts of Texas to service policyholders, and many had teams in place before Harvey even made landfall.

Chubb has CAT teams on the ground in Rockport, Corpus Christi and Houston, where they are seeing a wide range of both commercial and residential claims says Chubb’s Bill Turnbull, SVP, North America Property Claims. The company uses a three-pronged catastrophe approach that includes service centers staffed with knowledgeable professionals 24x7, claims adjusters who are on the ground in the impacted areas so they can meet with policyholders at their properties, and drone technology to assist professionals in their risk and loss assessments.