Nationwide Estimates Storm Claims May Top $17.5 Million

Ohio-based Nationwide Insurance, the country’s fourth largest homeowners’ insurer, announced that it estimates that insured policyholder losses from last weekend’s tornadoes and hail storms could be more than $17.5 million.

Damages from the storm system that swept through Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee have so far generated more than 2,400 claims Nationwide said. Most of them involve damages resulting from lightning, wind, hail, and rising water, according to Kevin George, Nationwide’s director of catastrophe claims operations.

He noted that “”We were paying claims at the break of daylight on Monday morning, and we have activated Nationwide’s National Catastrophe Team to bring more claim representatives to the areas hardest hit by the storm. We hope to have all claims closed in a couple of weeks because our claims force will work seven-days-a-week.” Nationwide agents are also assisting with the claims reporting process.

“The company will receive a projected 1,055 claims from Ohio, 807 claims from Tennessee, 425 claims from Kentucky, 265 claims from Alabama, with additional claims coming from Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. The majority of the claims are for damages to dwellings. The heavy winds caused roof and shingle damage. Wind-swept debris also resulted in many broken windows and damages to vehicles,” said the announcement.

It also advised policyholders with storm damage to call Nationwide’s claims hotline at 1-800-421-3535 or their local agent, and advised them to “make temporary repairs to protect the interiors of their homes from the elements,” and to “keep the receipts for any purchases required to make the repairs and present them to their claims representative.”

Topics Claims Windstorm Ohio