Hurricanes not the Only Storms to Hit Texas Coast

The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA), the state created insurer of last resort for 14 coastal counties and parts of Harris County, reports that nearly 14,000 claims were filed after violent spring thunderstorms brought hail, wind and flood damage across the state.

Hurricanes produce a massive amount of damage when they do strike the state, but Texas’ frequent hailstorms cause major damage across the entire state and tend to have the greatest effect on homeowner insurance rates,” said Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas.

The spring storms that consisted of hail and straight-line winds resulted in 13,702 claims amounting to $114 million in insured losses compared to Hurricane Rita’s 11,583 claims and $149 million in insured losses in 2005, according to the Insurance Council of Texas.

Only Hurricane Ike (2008), the costliest storm in Texas history, produced more TWIA windstorm claims than the thunderstorm damage this past April and May. The largest storms struck the Texas coast this year in mid- to late April and again from mid- to late May.

More than 90 percent of the spring storm claims came from Brazoria, Jefferson, Galveston and Nueces Counties.

Despite the large number of claims, TWIA has reported very few complaints and only two lawsuits. By the end of July, 90 percent of TWIA’s spring storm claims had been settled.

Dave Williams, TWIA’s vice president of Claims, says the better service can be tied to a hard-working and dedicated professional staff that has worked together well.

“TWIA has catastrophe plan that we have continuously improved based on lessons learned from prior storms and testing,” said Williams. “We also monitor the performances of independent adjusters, ensuring claims are resolved in a fair and timely manner.”

Since the 2008 hurricanes (Ike and Dolly), the Texas coast has also experienced other hail and windstorm events. While these hail and windstorms along the coast may not get the attention that a hurricane might bring, they can be just as damaging and costly for the Texas coast.

Source: The Insurance Council of Texas

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Texas Claims Windstorm Hurricane