May Oklahoma tornado claims top $1 billion

Insurance payments from the tornadoes that hit Oklahoma in May have now passed $1 billion, the state’s insurance department said Tuesday.

“These numbers are staggering,” insurance commissioner John D. Doak said in a statement from the department.

“We’ve topped $1 billion in payments and the rebuilding is just beginning,” Doak said. “We expected to see these amounts and they continue to go up every week. This is a major catastrophe that’s impacted thousands of Oklahomans.

Some survivors are still dealing with insurance and rebuilding issues. We can’t fix everything overnight, but we will be here for them until the last claim is paid,” he added.

Oklahomans have filed nearly 91,000 claims since May 19, but some are still dealing with unresolved insurance claims, which is not uncommon three to four months after a large-scale disaster, the department noted.

The department is also hosting a “recovery roundup” event later this month, asking representatives from major insurance companies to help answer questions from residents.