Texas Tornadoes, Blizzard Caused $1.2B in Insured Losses

Officials raised the number of tornadoes that swept across North Texas over the weekend to 10, with preliminary figures showing the twisters caused $1.2 billion worth of insured damage.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the Insurance Council of Texas released the figures on insured damage last week. In addition, the National Weather Service said a tornado struck Farmersville on Saturday night, raising the number of twisters hitting Collin, Dallas and Ellis counties from nine to 10. Eleven people were killed in the tornadoes.

Eleven people lost their lives and hundreds were left homeless following tornadoes that struck the Dallas area the day after Christmas. Blizzard conditions covered the state’s panhandle and west Texas shutting down highways and cutting power to thousands of homeowners. The tornadoes touched down south of Dallas in Ellis County near Waxahachie and Glenn Heights and proceeded northward striking the cities of Garland and Rowlett before continuing to cause more devastation in Collin County. As many as 1,000 homes may have been damaged or destroyed from the tornadoes which carried winds up to 200 miles per hour. A foot of snow and blizzard -like conditions paralyzed the northwestern half of the state. The Amarillo Fire Department said some areas had up to 12 foot snowdrifts.

Mark Hanna of the Insurance Council of Texas in Austin says the cost of the damage from the destruction is likely to increase as crews continue assessing damage.

The damage is among the area’s costliest in recent years.