Our thoughts and prayers continue go out to all of those impacted by the December 10th and 11th 2021 catastrophic multistate tornado event, that hit: Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Mississippi. We are thankful for all first responders, contractors, insurance adjusters, medical professionals, churches, and city officials who have been working around the clock in the recovery and restoration efforts.
However, as we look at the months to come, there is still a great risk of more tornado outbreaks in Texas (including but not limited to: Dallas,Tyler, Longview, College Station, Houston, and Beaumont), as well as throughout the South. CNN tells us how this risk could even materialize in January.
CNN continues their recent report on January tornadoes with the following bullet points:
- When tornadoes happen in January, they’re most likely to be in the South.
- This is due to its closer proximity to more humid air in the Gulf of Mexico.
- There have been large tornado outbreaks in January, most recently in 2017.
CNN and the Weather Channel both, tell us that when the strong jet stream and low-pressure system coming from the Northwest collides with the warm air coming off of the gulf, storms can develop along and ahead of a strong cold front.
CNN also reports on the history of January tornadoes in the United States, telling us that “January 2017 is the most recent active January with 137 tornadoes. The largest out break that month was Jan.20-22, when 79 tornadoes were spawned in the South. Twenty people were killed in Georgia and Mississippi.”
CNN continues the report stating. “a record-breaking January outbreak occurred in 1999 when 129 tornadoes struck in two days, mostly in the South.”
Going back further in US history, both CNN and The Weather Company tell us that “the deadliest January tornadoes on record both killed 55 people. One of them happened on Jan. 3,1949, In Warren, Arkansas, and the other on Jan. 11,1898, in Forth Smith, Arkansas.
TEXAS
We experienced our own F3 tornado here in Texas, when a tornado struck Dallas, Texas, on October 20, 2019. This Dallas tornado caused over 1.5 billion in damage and made it the costliest tornado in Texas History. However, the Dallas tornado of 2019 did not have the extreme loss of life that the December 2021 multistate tornado event caused.
No doubt, the recovery and restoration efforts will last for sometime, as the loss of life number continues to grow from the December 2021 multistate tornado.
Insurance claims of damaged properties have already begun. The estimates have not yet been stated on what the economic impact to the region is, but it will surely be in the billions.
We have published several earlier blogs on the insurance process, specifically as it relates to tornado damage: including recovery losses for tornado damage to zoos and animal parks, commercial tornado damage, maximizing a tornado insurance claim. However, this December 2021 multistate tornado event is the most widespread tornado event that we have seen in The United States, in recent history.
As reported on in earlier VLF blogs, when there is a catastrophic event of this magnitude, sometimes insurance companies will try to mitigate their losses by certain time tested tactics.
A good policyholder attorney will hold the carrier’s feet to the fire when claims arise. It is well documented that insurance carriers can sometimes implement various tactics when trying to lessen their financial exposure to claims, including: underpayment, denial, and the delay of claims. This is no surprise, given the record number of increasing weather events in the last several years (as documented in earlier VLF blogs).
This is why it is important to consult with a reputable policyholder attorney when filing a claim, and especially if your claim has been denied, delayed, or underpaid.
The Voss Law Firm, P.C. has been protecting policyholder’s rights for the past sixteen years, recovering billions of dollars in settlements for our clients.
Feel free to call, or email today for a free consultation on your file.
We are 100% contingency fee based. No recovery, no fee.
Todd Farr- Director of Client Relations.
