Last week’s hail and wind storm that brought destruction to the west Denver suburbs of Wheat Ridge and Arvada caused $350 million in insured damage according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA). The end result is a storm that now ranks as the second costliest in state history and adds to an already expensive summer storm season.
The July 20th storm has thus far resulted in 52,400 claims, 19,500 of which were for automobile damage and 32,900 were homeowner claims. RMIIA says that damage would have been much higher had the storm struck during daylight hours when more people and vehicles were on the road instead of in their homes and garages.
Massive trees were uprooted, power poles snapped, windows shattered, and automobiles dented beyond repair when the storm brought winds in excess of 60 mph and golf ball sized hail to the area. Two tornadoes also briefly touched down near Castle Rock and Englewood although they were not responsible for significant damage. 90,000 people lost power during the storm and Xcel Energy deployed more than 200 people into the field to restore electricity.
