One Year Later, Missouri Director Huff Recalls Carriers’ Response to Joplin Tornado

If you look at a map of the United States, one could make a case that Joplin, Mo., is the heart of the country.

A year ago on May 22, at about 5:40 p.m., that heart was broken when a tornado with winds of more than 200 mph ripped through the city of about 50,000 people. But with insurance playing a large role, Joplin is recovering and rebuilding.

“The insurance industry has done a commendable job,” John M. Huff, director of the Missouri Department of Insurance, tells NU, adding that the tornado is the state's largest insurance event ever. So far insurers have paid about $1.5 billion on claims, and it is expected that number will approach $2 billion by the time all claims are settled.

The twister tore up the city's high school and a major hospital while damaging more than 7,500 structures. The storm took the lives of 161 people.

Once it subsided, carriers “hit the ground running,” says Huff. “They had their catastrophe teams out helping customers.”

Technology played a huge role in the recovery right from the start, he says. The department immediately posted information online and kept in electronic contact with carriers. Carriers used computers in mobile command centers to plot where insureds were located, get information on damages, and keep track of policyholders' claims statuses.

“Insurers were immediately distributing funds—issuing checks or debit cards for expenses,” says Huff.

At the six-month mark after the storm, Huff's office held an event to get a “pulse check” of the recovery and insurance-payment process. Within the first 100 days of the tornado, insurance companies doled out $1 billion to Joplin policyholders.