Two insurers have taken in more than 2,300 claims after a catastrophic tornado outbreak struck Middle Tennessee and Kentucky on Dec. 9. Single and multifamily dwellings, autos and commercial and industrial properties were damaged or destroyed by six tornadoes with winds up to 150 mph.
State Farm has taken in 1,225 claims in Tennessee, 875 from property policyholders. The majority of reported damage is from wind, and about 13% of insureds reported that properties are uninhabitable, said spokesperson Myles Mitchom.
In neighboring Kentucky, State Farm has taken in 85 storm-related claims, 60 of them from homeowners. Claims teams have been in the impacted areas since Dec. 10, said Mitchom.
The most damaging was the deadly, EF-3 Clarksville tornado. It was on the ground for 43 miles and more than an hour, damaging more than 1,000 residences in Montgomery County, Tennessee and Todd and Logan counties in Kentucky. according to the National Weather Service.
The twister brought peak 150 mph winds, destroying 114 homes and leaving 268 with major damage the NWS said.
The Clarksville tornado first touched down on Fort Campbell. It also damaged commercial buildings and an elementary school in Tennessee before moving into Kentucky, the NWS at Nashville said.
USAA has taken in less than 1,000 claims and was sending a catastrophe team to the Fort Campbell area. Most USAA claims are low severity, spokesperson Bekah Nelson said.
The NWS continued on Dec. 12 to survey damage from the six tornadoes, including Clarksville.
Also deadly, the tornado damaged or destroyed houses, a church, apartment and industrial complexes, Main Street businesses and a golf and country club.
Other tornadoes hit with peak wind speeds of 110 mph to 120 mph. In Springfield, Tennessee one twister flipped and tossed 25 vehicles in a supermarket parking lot, NWS said, before heavily damaging warehouses and other commercial structures.
The five largest writers of homeowners multiperil insurance in Tennessee in 2022, based on direct premiums written, were: State Farm Group, with a 23.3% market share; Tennessee Farmers Insurance Cos., 17.63%; Allstate Insurance Group, 8.16%; USAA Group, 6.84%; and Liberty Mutual Insurance Cos., 6.82%, according to BestLink.
The five largest writers of all-private passenger auto insurance in Tennessee in 2022, based on direct premiums written, were: State Farm Group, with a 19.88% market share; Tennessee Farmers Insurance Cos., 15.53%; Progressive Insurance Group, 12.37%; Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group, 9.99%; and Allstate Insurance Group, 9.24%, according to BestLink.