The Associated Press
Hurricane Ike was the costliest weather catastrophe in Texas history in terms of insurance coverage, leaving behind nearly $12 billion in insured damage, an industry group reported Thursday.
Total windstorm claims in Texas from Ike totaled $9.8 billion, according to a statement from the Insurance Council of Texas.
The National Flood Insurance Program said Texas residents filed nearly 44,000 flood claims from Ike costing almost $2.2 billion, the council said.
Ike made landfall in the Galveston area on Sept. 13, 2008, with a devastating 16-foot storm surge and 110-mph winds.
State officials previously have said Ike was the costliest natural disaster in Texas history, with overall damage topping $29 billion and more than three dozen lives lost.
"Hurricane Ike took the same path as Galveston’s 1900 storm that claimed more than 6,000 lives," said Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the council. "Thankfully, coastal residents had been adequately warned for Hurricane Ike, but few were prepared for Ike’s destructive storm surge. Many residents who lost everything did not have flood insurance."
The Texas Department of Insurance reported receiving more than 800,000 windstorm claims from Ike, including claims from Texas Windstorm Insurance Association policy holders.
TWIA is still getting damage claims from Ike and expects to pay out $1.8 billion in claims, the council said.
Tropical Storm Allison, which struck in June 2001, had been the state’s costliest weather catastrophe, at $3.5 billion.
On the Net:
http://www.insurancecouncil.org