Oklahoma Tornado Damage Likely to Exceed Joplin – Commissioner

The damage from Monday’s tornado in a suburb of Oklahoma City is likely to exceed that caused by the 2011 twister in Joplin, Missouri, that killed 161 people, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak said.

In an interview with Reuters after touring the area, Doak said that losses were likely to be greater than in the Joplin storm, which he said caused about $3 billion in damage.

“This will likely exceed that,” Doak said.

The insured losses from Joplin exceeded $2 billion and are expected to rise as claims are settled.

(Reporting by Carey Gillam; Editing by Gary Hill and Jim Loney)