Insurance claims filed this spring surpass Hurricane Rita's tally

Spring thunderstorms that wreaked havoc across Texas this year surpassed 2005's Hurricane Rita for the number of insurance claims filed with the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association.

TWIA, the insurer of last resort for wind and hail coverage along the Gulf Coast, reported 13,702 claims for the storms in April and May. That's more than the 11,583 claims filed with TWIA after Hurricane Rita, according to the Insurance Council of Texas.

The Windstorm Association's insured losses for Rita remained greater at $148 million, compared with $113 million for the April and May thunderstorms.

Mark Hanna, spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas, said this data shows "the significance of the spring storms."

And this weather spread throughout the state, causing $1 billion in insured losses for April and another $1 billion in insured losses for May.

Flooding in late May and early June, including Houston's Memorial Day flood, cost hundreds of millions in insured losses in Texas, he said. Most of those losses were in Houston and Wimberley.

"This was a violent year," Hanna said. "It was very, very rough."

He said the bad weather could push homeowners' insurance rates up, though he hasn't heard of any companies increasing rates yet.

The National Flood Insurance Program, which provides flood insurance nationwide, reported 7,871 claims resulting from spring storms in Texas. That compares to 3,526 claims after Hurricane Rita and 43,937 claims after 2008's Hurricane Ike.

"Insurers and disaster planners say repeatedly and frequently that flooding is the No. 1 natural disaster, and Texans have certainly had proof positive of that this year," Lynne McChristian, spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute, said in an email. "And yet, too many people will overlook the devastation of flooding if it doesn't happen close to home."

"Even when floods occur in their community, some people think it's a once-in-forever calamity that won't ever happen again. Mother Nature gives lessons, but the 'students' sometimes fail the test."

Flooding this past weekend in Houston wasn't as bad as expected, but Hanna still expects some flood losses to be reported.

He isn't optimistic about the rest of this year and said Texans should consider flood insurance.

"The year's not over yet, and they're predicting a colder and wetter winter," he said.