Seattle-based property and casualty insurance company Safecoreported approximately $30 million in pretax catastrophe losses dueto the Pacific Northwest windstorm that ripped through the PugetSound area during the 2006 holiday season.

The company estimated the storm losses based on property value,knowledge of severity and reporting patterns from past storms,damage projections based on wind speed, and anticipated costs for asurge in demand for goods and labor to complete repairs.

Prolonged power outages in the Puget Sound area causedpolicyholders to delay making claims. Safeco reported that theyhave completed full or partial payouts to those who made claimsthat stemmed from the windstorms. The company reported that membersof its National Catastrophe Team were on-site as of late January toaid in the recovery efforts.

“December's windstorm was the worst to hit in the PacificNorthwest in more than a decade, but our National Catastrophe Teamwas on the ground the very next day,” said Paula Reynolds, Safecopresident and chief executive officer. “As a result, most of ourcustomers have repairs under way.”