Powerful hail storms ravished the Midwest Sunday, producing lightning, high winds, tornadoes and heavy rain in addition to baseball-sized hail. But the American Insurance Institute said insurers "stand ready to help."
At least six people were killed, and "hundreds" saw their homes and businesses damaged or destroyed, according to insurance industry officials. Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky saw the most damage in the series of storms that affected more than 53mn Americans in 10 states.
The AIA has said it's already begun to process claims from victims.
"Insurers stand ready to help policyholders with the recovery process. Claims adjusters have already begun to help policyholders file claims," said Jim Whittle, chief claims counsel for the AIA, in a statement. "AIA's member companies have begun communicating with policyholders through a variety of channels, including Facebook and Twitter."
Mobile claims units from Allstate are also on the way to the hardest-hit areas, the insurer said.
Meanwhile, the Insurance Information Institute said it's "too early" to verify the scope of losses from this weekend's storms, but they could end up rivaling the average $1bn in economic losses from hailstorms. Risk Managment Solutions already puts estimated damages from the Midwest storms at $1bn.
State Farm confirmed that all three states were in the “top 10” list for hail claims, though weather experts say it is unusual to see storms so late in the year.
Generally, the Midwest experiences hail storms and tornadoes in the warmer months, the Storm Prediction Center said. In fact, before Sunday, insured losses from severe weather were below the 10-year average and 2013 was on track to become the quietest tornado year since 1988.
Similarly, Weather Fusion reported that the 2013 hail season was at a 59% decrease from 2011.
