An insurance industry spokesperson said that preliminary insured losses from Hurricane Claudette are starting at $17 million.
“It is still far too early to estimate precisely what total insured losses will be. These numbers could increase very significantly over the days and weeks to follow,” according to Sandra Ray, public affairs manager of Southwestern Insurance Information Service.
“Our estimates do not include flood or crop damage,” she added. “It appears that most of the damage to structures was the result of wind and wind-driven rain.”
Ray stressed that anyone sustaining damage from the hurricane should contact their insurance agent as quickly as possible.
“Even if a person lives in an area without power they would be wise to arrange transportation to an area with power and report their claim,” she said. “There are ample adjusters in south Texas to handle the volume of reported losses.”
“The residents of Victoria County and the 15 surrounding counties also stung by Claudette were very fortunate to be spared major losses,” she added. “The ultimate insured losses from Hurricane Claudette will be a fraction of what they could have been had the storm packed more wallop.”