Hailstorms are the most damaging weather events in Texas. For the first time, the Texas Department of Insurance hosted a symposium spotlighting this natural disaster.
“We hear about every hurricane, we don't hear about every hailstorm and just because they're not as big events,” said Texas Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman.
More than 300 professionals participated, talking about the short-term and long-lasting costs from the destructive hail storms.
“It is a partnership not only between the consumers, but the regulators, the weather folks, the roofing industry, the insurance industry,” said Jenny Pye, Director of Quality Assurance.
The Texas Department of Insurance estimated more than $1.7 billion in insured property losses last year, with more than $1.2 billion of the losses occurring in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
“We're sort of in hail alley here,” said the National Weather Service’s Dr. Steve Lyons. “Part of the problem is, you've got this huge metropolis out here, and there is very little area to not be damaged.”
Lyons said "war on hail" was a fitting name for the conference, as it poses a serious threat to the state every year.
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“We can win the war, but it has to be a ground war. And we have to mitigate. In other words we have to prevent the damage from occurring,” he said.
NBC 5 Chief Meteorologist David Finfrock emceed the event.
