Number One in Q1 Catastrophes

The Insurance Council of Texas reported that a series of thunderstorms that pummeled portions of the Hill Country and central Texas in late March resulted in Texas leading the nation in insured losses during the first quarter of the year. Austin and Travis County caught the brunt of the storms.

According to the Insurance Services Office Property Claims Services unit in Jersey City, N.J., Texas led all other states with $565 million in weather losses from January 1 through the end of March. California’s wet weather season placed it at a distant second in catastrophic losses at $275 million.

On March 25, 2005, a cold front triggered several thunderstorms that packed high winds and large hail striking portions of central and south central Texas. ICT estimates that insured losses in the Austin area will amount to approximately $140 million after all claims have been settled.

Mark Hanna, an ICT spokesman, said the storm resulted in about 40,000 claims.