Joplin Recovering

As of Nov. 30, 2011, insurance companies had paid out $1.13 billion in claims from the May 22, 2011, Joplin, Mo., tornado. The amount is expected to climb to nearly $2 billion, according to Department of Insurance Director John M. Huff. Some 18,000 homeowners, auto and commercial property claims had been filed related to the tornado as of late November.

An estimated 8,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in the storm that wiped out about one-third of the properties in the community and killed more than 160 people, according to a report issued by Gov. Jay Nixon’s office summarizing the state’s response to the Joplin tornado.

By the end of December, about half of the city’s property owners had secured permits to repair or rebuild homes that were damaged or destroyed by the tornado, the city managers’ office reported.

Joplin’s finance director has indicated that the city might not end up with any debt related to the tornado, the Associate Press reported. It had been estimated that costs to the city, including damage to city property, would be about $24 million. But it appears those costs eventually will be paid by insurance and through reimbursements from the state and federal governments.

The Joplin Globe reported that city finance director Leslie Jones said the damage estimate could change, but as of mid-January 2012, it appeared the city would be ahead about $130,000 after the reimbursements and insurance pay their costs. Jones said FEMA paid $94 million for expedited debris removal last summer.