Insurance Claims Pour in from Tropical Storm Hermine

Like the rainfall that inundated Texas as a result of Tropical Storm Hermine, claims from property damage caused by the storm have been pouring in to insurers, the Insurance Council of Texas has reported.

ICT spokesman Mark Hanna says claims are continuing “to mount with insured losses near $75 million and could reach $100 million.”

ICT teamed with HailWatch to closely examine the torrential rainfall that Central Texas received from Tropical Storm Hermine on September 7 and 8. Portions of northern Travis and Williamson County received rainfall in excess of 15 inches.

The heaviest rainfall occurred from Cedar Park northward to near Jarrell. Twelve inch rainfalls were reported in an area extending out from the area of Rollingwood northward to Salado. The entire Austin metropolitan area received a minimum of six inches of rainfall.

The National Weather Service in Austin officially recorded 7.04 inches of rain at Camp Mabry on Sept. 7 which broke the old record of 3.11 inches recorded back in 1923.

Hermine continued to move northward causing flooding and spawning tornadoes in Dallas and Seagoville. The initial estimate of insured losses statewide may exceed $50 million.

The storm also spawned tornadoes in North Texas and in Oklahoma. Tornadoes touched down on Sept. 8 southeast, east and north of downtown Dallas, according to the Associated Press. A twister slammed a tractor-trailer rig into a brick paint warehouse near Dallas Love Field, toppling the building onto the cab and injuring the driver who was taken to a hospital. Part of a warehouse roof nearby also collapsed. No other damage or injuries were reported.

A tornado also skipped across a mostly rural area from near the town of Ferris, about 15 miles south of Dallas, to near Seagoville, about 20 miles southeast of Dallas.

As the front edge of the storm moved into Oklahoma, a tornado toppled power lines, damaged a couple of homes and blew over a tractor-trailer rig on U.S. 69 near Colbert, sending the driver to the hospital, Durant police said. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed the highway so crews could clear downed electrical lines.

The storm has been blamed for at least three deaths, but searches are still underway for several people thought to have been caught in flood waters.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has declared 40 Texas counties as disaster areas, which will help speed recovery assistance to communities and families affected by Tropical Storm Hermine by opening the door to state and federal assistance, the governor’s office said.