No major catastrophes in January, but smaller disasters add up
While there were no major disaster events which took place during the first month of this year, a number of smaller weather events did cause many homeowners insurance claims across the globe.
Some of the most severe weather systems so far in 2012 were in Europe, according to Aon Benfield. A strong windstorm caused insured losses of more than $300 million in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, while heavy snows have caused issues in other countries.
In the United States, Oregon and Washington were hit with severe winter weather which caused estimated damages of more than $50 million. In addition, the string of tornadoes which swept across Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi left behind repair costs expected to top $100 million.
"Following an extremely active 2011, this year has already seen an elevated number of natural disaster events," said Steve Jakubowski, president of Impact Forecasting. "Severe winter weather impacted many countries during January, and we would expect this trend to continue into February across the Northern Hemisphere."
Last year there were many weather disasters across the country. The Insurance Information Institute says there were 99 federal disaster declarations in 2011 - a new record.
Related Home Insurance Articles:
- Homes destroyed by Nevada wildfire May 23, 2012
- Researchers hope to better understand tornado damage May 22, 2012
- Total costs from Minneapolis tornado reach $80 million May 21, 2012
- Analysis shows more than $2B of insurance claims from Joplin tornado May 18, 2012
- Recovery continues for Michigan tornado victims May 17, 2012
