Hail Pelts Texas Panhandle; Insured Losses Nearing $200M

Insured losses from large hail in the Texas Panhandle late May 28 are already approaching $200 million, says a state insurance trade association.

Mark Hanna of the Insurance Council of Texas says thousands of insurance claims are being handling by insurers covering property and vehicles in Amarillo, Texas, where golf ball-size hail pelted the city.

Nearly 15,000 auto claims and 10,000 homeowner claims have been filed. Hanna reports 75 percent of the city—the fourteenth most populated in Texas with about 194,000—was struck by the storm.

Hanna says Cody Kemp, an insurance agent with Alice Brooks Insurance Agency, reports some hail were as big as apples. Hundreds of vehicles in auto dealerships were damaged.

Earlier this month tornadoes and hail in the North Texas region on May 15 caused about $250 million in insured losses, according to preliminary estimates from ICT.

Hanna says the estimate will likely change since the storm affected a large area—seven or eight counties—and insurers continued to count claims.

As many as 10 twisters touched down after nightfall. The storms included softball-sized hail and cut power to tens of thousands of home and businesses.