Texas Declares ‘War on Hail’ with Mitigation Symposium

The Texas Department of Insurance is declaring “War on Hail” with a symposium to be held in Irving on Nov. 27.

The department noted that Texas leads the nation in hailstorm damage. In 2011, insured residential losses statewide topped $1.7 billion; more than $1.2 billion of those losses occurred in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

The symposium will focus on hailstorm patterns, predictions and mitigation with a panel of experts from across the United States.

Attendees will learn how the National Weather Service is improving storm predictions and tracking, how home construction and engineering advances can reduce losses and how the insurance industry is impacted by these frequent and damaging storms. Continuing education credits will be available.

Confirmed speakers at the event include:

• Dr. Steve Lyons (National Weather Service)

• Julie Rochman (Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety)

• Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman

More information about the event may be found online at http://www.tdi.texas.gov/commish/waronhail.html.