Insurers have paid or reserved $10.5 billion on all types of Hurricane Ida-related claims in Louisiana through the end of 2021, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon announced Jan.31. This data represents the first measure of damage from Hurricane Ida, which struck the state on Aug. 29, 2021, as a Category 4 storm and affected 25 parishes.
Policyholders have filed 434,633 claims of all types from Hurricane Ida as of Dec. 31, with 83 percent of claims closed. Of the reported claims, 259,134, or 60 percent, were closed with payment, garnering $6.5 billion in payments for damage caused by the hurricane.
“Louisiana’s resiliency has been thoroughly tested in 2020 and 2021. Paid claims for Hurricane Ida represent a way forward for those most affected by this hurricane,” Donelon said. “This $10.5 billion will help Louisiana policyholders rebuild their lives, homes and businesses.”
The information was generated from a data call issued by the Louisiana Department of Insurance to all authorized property and casualty insurers, including surplus lines insurers, to submit their claims data on Hurricane Ida. The figures include claims from personal and commercial insurance. Claims and payment data from the National Flood Insurance Program is not included as the NFIP is not regulated by LDI.
According to LDI data, more than three-quarters (78.0 percent or 339,193) of the claims reported were residential property claims. At the same time, 71.9 percent of the claims closed with payment were residential property claims. Total losses paid amounted to $6.47 billion, while residential property losses paid amounted to $4.65 billion. Losses paid plus reserves on reported claims in the residential property line are 53.00 percent of the total, or $5.55 billion.
There are 26,885 commercial property claims, 6.1 percent of the total claims, but commercial property accounted for 35.5 percent of the total, or $3.72 billion, paid losses plus reserves on reported claims. Nearly one-third of commercial property claims paid and reserved have been paid ($1.22 billion).
Of the seven lines reported on, LDI’s data indicates that commercial property has the lowest percentage (31 percent) of reported claims paid, preceded by private flood at 40 percent, and business interruption at 47 percent. Going from the top down, personal auto has 80 percent of the reported claims closed with payment; followed by all other lines of business at 75 percent; commercial auto at 66 percent and residential property at 58 percent.
Five parishes each sustained more than $1 billion in losses. Paid losses plus reserves in the five parishes are: Jefferson, $1.90 billion; Terrebonne, $1.53 billion; Orleans, $1.50 billion; Lafourche $1.09 billion, and St, Charles $1.02 billion, according to the LDI data.
The numbers for the five parishes each sustaining more than $1 billion in losses largely track the statewide total percentages. In Jefferson 84 percent of reported claims are closed, and 59 percent of reported claims were closed with payment. In Terrebonne, 79 percent of reported claims are closed, and 66 percent of reported claims are closed with payment. In Orleans 83 percent of reported claims are closed, and 53 percent of claims are closed with payment. In Lafourche, 80 percent of reported claims are closed, and 66 percent are closed with payment. In St. Charles, 73 percent of reported claims are closed, and 61 percent are closed with payment.
Hurricane Ida produced fewer than 10 claims in six parishes, but no parish had zero claims.
The data call figures released represent the most comprehensive compilation to date of insured losses in Louisiana from Hurricane Ida. Data for Hurricane Ida through Dec. 31 can be found at www.ldi.la.gov.
LDI will continue collecting data from property and casualty insurers to monitor the claims process. Further cumulative catastrophe claims data for Ida is due April 8 and July 8, with the final deadline for data on Oct. 7, 2022.
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