Ind. Tornado Losses Top $10 Million

Preliminary estimates for insured losses arising from the surprise tornado that struck southern Indiana on Sunday stands at $10 million, according to the Insurance Institute of Indiana.

Twenty-two people died and about 230 were injured when a tornado touched down in southern Indiana and Kentucky during the early-morning hours of Nov. 6. Initial estimates by local insurance adjusters put property damage as high as $10 million, although some adjusters have not yet been able to get into the hard-hit Evansville, Ind. area, said Insurance Institute of Indiana spokesman Marty Wood.

The tornado touched down about 2 a.m. in Henderson County, Kentucky, then crossed the Ohio River and hit an Evansville, Ind. mobile home park before moving into Warrick County. Severe storms struck other parts of the state in the wake of the tornado.

State Farm so far has received 255 homeowners’ claims from the Evansville area, 100 of which were uninhabitable, said Missy Lundberg, spokesperson for the insurer. Another 700 homeowners claims came from other areas of the state that were hit by severe storms accompanying the tornado. None of the Evansville claims were on mobile homes.

Through September there had been only 10 tornado deaths — eight of them mobile homes residents. In any given year, there are about 70 U.S. tornado fatalities.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Profit Loss Windstorm