IRVING, Texas, June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Stormy, windy
weather slammed more Allstate insured homes in Hardin County than any other part of
Texas over the past five years.
Allstate tallied the top 20 stormiest counties in the state by
looking at the areas with the highest frequencies of wind, hail and
lightning related homeowner property damage claims from 2006
through 2010.
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Highest Percentages of
Wind, Hail, Lightning Claims Per County
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2006-2010
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1
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HARDIN
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2
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ORANGE
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3
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BOWIE
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4
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MIDLAND
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5
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JEFFERSON
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6
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EL
PASO
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7
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ECTOR
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8
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PARKER
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9
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HARRIS
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10
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WILLIAMSON
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11
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SMITH
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12
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ANGELINA
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13
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GRAYSON
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14
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TARRANT
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15
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VAL
VERDE
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16
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FORT
BEND
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17
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HOOD
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18
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MONTGOMERY
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19
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DENTON
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20
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LUBBOCK
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Rankings
While the two stormiest counties on the list are in Southeast Texas, which reflects the impact of
Hurricanes Rita and Ike, other chart toppers cover diverse parts of
the state—north to south, east to west.
Few, if any areas of Texas are
safe from severe weather. Texas
has exposure to nine different types of natural disasters—the most
among any state in the country—including hurricanes, tornadoes and
wildfires, like those that continue to devastate many Texas counties.
Texas has also ranked among the
top five for states with the most catastrophe losses over the past
five years, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
Texas led the nation in 2008 with
$11.6 billion in catastrophe losses,
making up more than 40% of the total catastrophe losses in
the United States. Texas
also led the nation in 2009 with $2.45
billion in catastrophe losses, representing about 23% of all
catastrophe losses in the country.
"This analysis is a snapshot of storm damage over the course of
five years in Texas," said
Brent Walters, an Allstate agent in
Beaumont. "We know we're
going to get severe weather in Texas, but we can't predict when and where, so
homeowners need to be ready."
How can Texans be prepared for wildfires, hurricanes and storms?
Allstate recommends a few quick steps:
Before the Storm:
- If you don't have an up-to-date home inventory, walk through
your home with a video or still camera to create a record of what
you have and where it is in your house. You can also download
an iPhone App like the Allstate Digital Locker (TM) that helps you
create an inventory of your items, easily organized by room,
category, or item lists, and store it right in your pocket.
- Make sure you're covered for all types of weather in
Texas. Reach out to your
agent for a yearly coverage check-up.
Storm Recovery:
- Make reasonable temporary repairs to prevent further damage.
Save the receipts for temporary home repairs as these expenses may
be reimbursed as part of your homeowner's policy. Your adjuster
will need this information.
- Inventory your home and list damaged items before your adjuster
arrives. An inventory can help facilitate the claim process
after a disaster.
About Allstate
To collect the data, Allstate measured the frequency of hail,
wind and lightning homeowner property claims over a five year
period (2006-2010) in 58 Texas
counties which all had at least 1,000 Allstate policies in
2010.
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest
publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the
"You're In Good Hands With Allstate®" slogan, Allstate is
reinventing protection and retirement to help nearly 16 million
households insure what they have today and better prepare for
tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products (auto, home,
life and retirement) and services through Allstate agencies,
independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial
representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com and
1-800 Allstate®.
SOURCE Allstate