Austin Faces $50 Million in Wind and Hail Damage

Insured losses from the strong winds and large hail that pummeled Austin, Texas, on the night of May 14 may rise to $50 million, the Insurance Council of Texas reported. Claims from damaged homes and automobiles continue to come in.

Up to 20,000 insurance claims are expected from the storm that uprooted trees, knocked out windows, damaged roofs and smashed cars in portions of west, north central and east Austin. Average homeowner claims were estimated at $3,500 while auto claims were estimated at $3,000.

Wind gusts as high as 65 mile per hour were recorded as well as hail stones the size of tennis balls. Austin residents are asked to contact their insurance agent or company as soon as possible to report damage.

For a listing of the catastrophe phone numbers of all insurance companies offering auto and homeowners insurance in the Austin area, go to the Insurance Council of Texas Web site at www.insurancecouncil.org/images/companyweb&phonelist.pdf.

The last storm to cause more insured losses than this month’s storm occurred on March 24, 2005, when a hail storm raked portions of north Austin resulting in an estimated $100 million in destruction.

Source: Insurance Council of Texas, www.insurancecouncil.org.

Topics Texas