Claudette’s Losses Climb to $90M

The Insurance Council of Texas reported that Hurricane Claudette, which hit the Texas coast in July, caused an estimated $90 million in insured losses, placing the storm just ahead of Hurricane Carla in dollar losses. Claudette came ashore July 15, striking land at Port O’Connor with wind gusts in excess of 100 miles an hour.

Heavy rainfall on the northern edge of the storm caused flooding and major erosion in portions of Galveston and Brazoria Counties. Heavy winds struck Matagorda, Port O’Connor and Port Lavaca inland to Victoria. Approximately half of the claims reported to insurance companies occurred in Victoria County. The storm killed two people.

Hurricane Carla was a huge storm when it also landed near Port O’Connor in 1961 causing widespread destruction. Carla’s $85 million in insured losses would amount to $523 million dollars in today’s economy.

ICT posts a chart of the top 15 Texas storm losses in 2003 dollars on its Web site at http://www.insurancecouncil.org/news/2003/july112003.doc.

The official dollar figure for Hurricane Claudette came from the Property Claims Services division of the Insurance Services Office Inc.