Almost two years ago to the day, I wrote a Claims Magazine column about the property and casualty insurance implications of the 2011 tornado season. Unfortunately, because of occurrences of this late spring and early summer, it has become necessary to revisit this topic again.

This year, three tornado systems tore through the Midwest, Texas, and Oklahoma in the last two weeks of May, killing and injuring a number of people and causing estimated insured loss of several billion dollars. According to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, there is an average of 276 tornadoes each year in the United States. However, averages and statistics matter little to those who are dealing with the destruction in the aftermath of these disasters.

Although much of this damage will be insured, there are issues to consider in determining what is covered and what is not. One of the major concerns for partially damaged buildings, such as those where roofs are torn off or walls breached but the property remains standing, is the occurrence of mold that so frequently follows these types of disasters.