Hawley surveys tornado damage, puts insurance companies on notice

ST. LOUIS, MO. — Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) was on the ground in St. Louis, Missouri to meet with victims and survey the damage inflicted by Friday’s tornadoes. The storm claimed the lives of five people, injured 38, and damaged approximately 5,000 structures, resulting in $1.6 billion in damages.

The Senator was briefed by the mayor, fire chief, police chief, and officials from Ameren Corporation. He also met with non-profit groups, first responders, and other community leaders. In addition, he had the chance to walk the neighborhoods that had been hit hardest and speak with residents impacted.

“These are beautiful neighborhoods full of exceptional people. And now they need our help. I support Governor Kehoe’s call for an emergency disaster declaration,” Senator Hawley said. “Now the federal government and insurance companies need to do their part to help these good people rebuild. There’s a lot of claims that need to be paid. We will be tenacious in seeing that these insurance companies pay claims to every person who has been injured or had property damaged. This is the real acid test for these insurance companies. I hope they will uphold their end of the contract–and if you can’t get your claim processed, come to me.”

Senator Hawley’s office has created a special landing page and tip line for constituents to report any problems with insurance claims following the storms.

Last week, Senator Hawley chaired a subcommittee hearing that exposed how insurance companies routinely deny or underpay insurance claims following recent natural disasters. He has committed to holding insurance companies accountable for paying out insurance claims as victims begin to rebuild.