ST. LOUIS – Thousands of insurance claims have already been filed following Friday’s deadly tornado.
“In the zip codes that were impacted by this tornado, we have about 14,500 homeowners’ insurance policies, we have just over 15,000 renters’ policies,” Angela Nelson, director of the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance, said.
Since Friday’s deadly storm, Nelson said 6,000 claims have already been made. She said several insurance companies brought in additional people to help victims file their claims.
“It is heart wrenching. Our hearts go out to all of those who have lost a loved one, who have suffered a loss at their home, have a lot of dings in their brand-new car that they were excited to get and now they’re wondering, ‘What do I do?’” Gina Morss-Fischer, State Farm spokeswoman, said.
Morss-Fischer said State Farm brought in 250 people to help adjudicate the wave of claims.
“Being here in person for our claims team members is so important. They can answer a variety of questions,” she said. “They can come to a homeowner’s property, to a rental property, to assess damage.”
In the meantime, Nelson said the state is watching insurance companies to make sure police holders are being paid in full.
“If somebody gets an offer from an insurance company that they don’t believe is sufficient then they need to reach out to the department. The number again is 1800-726-7390. They can talk to one of our staff,” Nelson said.