State Farm released a list of the locations where the severe storms cause the most covered damage.
State Farm received 119,000 hurricane insurance claims last year, and they all came from policyholders that had covered properties in 9 states.
There was a total of approximately $1.2 billion in claims paid out to the affected policyholders.
The hurricane insurance claims were paid for the repair and rebuilding of homes damaged by the storms. The State Farm data from last year include the storms called Henri, Nicholas, and Ida. They impacted 9 states, which were listed as those that were most affected by the severe storms last year. Of all the affected states, Louisiana had the most claims made for home and auto.
There, payments were made to 75,400 policies for a total of $866 million paid out to policyholders in Louisiana. The next state was a distant second place, as New York saw $135 million paid out to 14,800 policies. New Jersey was in third place with $112 million paid to 14,400 policies, and Pennsylvania policyholders were paid $61 million to 7,700 policies. Other affected states included Maryland, Mississippi, Connecticut, Texas and Alabama.
One in four of the hurricane insurance claims made in 2021 were made on auto policies.
Along with the data the insurer shared, it also provided helpful tips to policyholders to help prepare for the upcoming storm season and protect against damage. They included the following:
- Store vehicles in a garage or other area where they will be the most protected from flying debris.
- Remove all electronics externally mounted that could be damaged by wind and/or debris.
- Place all loose items inside the home or garage, including grills, patio furniture, garbage cans or anything else that could be picked up by strong wind and become debris that would damage a vehicle or structure.
- Trim branches that have the potential to break off during a storm and that could damage vehicles or a building.
Before the storm season begins, it’s a good idea to review coverage and be sure that it will be adequate in case hurricane insurance claims need to be made despite the effort to prevent damage.
