A massive February 8-9 winter storm, which was given the name “Nemo” by The Weather Channel, brought deep snow and high gusting winds to Northeast and New England states – but several mitigating factors have helped to limit the overall damage, according to AIR Worldwide.
Tim Doggett, principal scientist at AIR Worldwide, said the Northeast region was not already covered by any earlier snow when the storm arrived. Had there been antecedent snow, impacts would have been greater. He also said the snow brought by the storm was of a relatively low density – light and fluffy – in much of the region, thereby minimizing the weight of the snow pack. Also, the sustained winds were not quite as strong as they were forecast to be – and thus snow drifting and tree damage were lessened.
A number of regional insurers said they were not seeing a large number of claims in the immediate days following the storm.
Arbella Insurance Group, a Quincy, Mass.-based carrier providing personal and business insurance in the New England region, said the company doesn’t expect the snowstorm to reach the same level of impact as the other extreme weather events that occurred in New England in 2011 and 2012. “So far, Arbella has received approximately 500 claims across all of our lines of business,” Tracy Hurley, vice president of claims, said on Feb 12. She said that most damage appears to be related to wind and fallen trees on homes and cars.
She said a number of precautionary measures may have helped to lower losses. “The volume of storm warnings, early business closures and driving bans kept many cars off the roads during the storm. This preparedness has gone a long way in reducing the number of auto accidents reported,” Arbella’s Hurley said.
At Montpelier, Vt.-based Union Mutual of Vermont Companies, CEO John Fitzhugh said that as of Feb. 12, his company had 121 claims reported. The Union Mutual of Vermont Companies offers personal and commercial insurance and writes about 100,000 policies throughout New England.
Topics Windstorm
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