Ohio Storm Damage Over $38 Million

NU Online News Service, May 15, 10:10 a.m.EST?Tornado and hailstorm damage in Ohio last month caused$38.2 million in insured losses in the state, the Ohio InsuranceInstitute said yesterday.

The Columbus-based OII said a tornado with 150-mile-an-hourwinds hit Jackson Township and North Canton, destroying 17businesses, 206 homes and a number of vehicles.

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency estimated that 95 percentof the tornado-damaged property was insured.

According to OII, its survey of 34 property-casualty insurerstallied 13,960 claims resulting from the storm system. Theinstitute said more than half the claims were from homeowners andrenters insurance, mostly for structural damage.

More than 40 percent of the claims, the OII survey found, werefor damaged or totaled vehicles.

The five companies recording the most dollar value for claimswere: State Farm Insurance, $15 million; Grange Insurance, $6.5million; Western Reserve Group, $1.5 million; Erie Insurance, $1.27million; and Nationwide Insurance, $1.2 million.