With any disaster comes a flood of insurance claims. Many claims are made regarding damage to a home or property, but cars also suffer damage from high winds, flooding, and downed tree limbs, all possible during a hurricane or tropical storm.

North Carolina Farm Bureau expects to receive about 18,000 to 20,000 insurance claims due to Hurricane Irene’s winds and flooding over the weekend, and many estimates are currently hovering around $200 million to $400 million in total damage claims in the state, which is relatively low compared to past hurricane events.

However, only drivers who have comprehensive car insurance coverage can file claims of this nature. Neither collision coverage nor liability insurance cover wind or water damage to a vehicle.

But will insurance rates increase in states affected by Irene?

In an attempt recoup lost monies, insurance companies on the Eastern seaboard may raise rates, but no announcements have been made.

More likely, those who file claims will see a slight increase in their insurance premiums, but other policy holders in the state shouldn’t be affected.

Thanks to a wet and wild summer that's been pummeling Colorado and Wyoming with severe thunderstorms, flash floods, tornados and an amazing display of lightning, insurance claims are rolling in to the tune of $285 million.

An estimated 50,000 claims have been filed with car insurance companies according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, with auto insurance taking up about 64 percent of the overall total.

According to the association's estimates, in just the last two weeks, Colorado saw a staggering 17,200 auto insurance claims, the majority of which were related to flood damage, as well as a healthy number of claims to compensate emergency rescue personnel who helped stranded motorists caught in flash flood areas.

Wyoming suffered an estimated 15,000 in auto insurance claims with the majority as a result of golf-ball sized hailstones that dropped out of the sky during peak rush hour times, totaling vehicle's bodies and smashing out windows.

Caroline Walker, executive director of the association, fears that these claims aren't anywhere close to topping out as consumers are still trying to fully asses the damage, and the severe summer weather season is only about half way over.

"People do have up to a year to file or reopen their claims," Walker said in a telephone interview with news.onlineautoinsurance.com.

To keep up with the massive influx of weather related claims, insurers across the Rocky Mountain region have been setting up emergency call centers to help accelerate the claims process and get customers’ lives back to normal.

Unfortunately, for the hundreds of thousands of car owners who are feeling the sting of weather related damages, only motorists with comprehensive coverage, an additional form of auto insurance not required in either state, will be able to cash in on their policies.

—AJ Register

Severe weather, including a staggering number of tornadoes, has recently been pounding the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, and isn't showing any clear signs of letting up. With the high number of insurance claims coming in to relieve some of the financial losses felt by victims of this severe weather, insurance companies will have their work cut out for them in the coming months. However, GEICO says they are ready to take on the challenge.

With tornadoes devastating several states including Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and most recently Virginia among others, there is a lot of damage to be accounted for. Currently the numbers are unknown, but conservative estimates have already put the cost of damages in the billions.

Losses to vehicles are a substantial portion of the overall price tag to damages felt by tornado victims. High winds caused by twisters have shattered nearly every window in their path, that is to say, if the vehicles weren't simply picked up off the ground and tossed like they were a child's plaything.

Insurance companies across the board are expecting a massive influx of claims from policy holders with comprehensive coverage in all of the regions and states devastated by the tornadoes, but GEICO is standing firm and has announced that they are ready for what is sure to be an onslaught of paperwork.

In regard to Virginia, an area affected by a slew of tornadoes and arguably the most thoroughly destroyed a couple weeks ago, Nancy Pierce, GEICO's vice president of claims stated in a press release, "After the devastating tornadoes that hit Virginia, we want to make sure that our customers are safe."

Pierce went on to extend GEICO's full support to all of their clientele who have been negatively affected by severe weather saying,

"We're doing everything we can to lighten the burden on our policyholders; we have added additional staff to make sure all claims are handled quickly so that we can get our policyholders back on the road as soon as possible."

GEICO is one of the nation's leading insurance providers protecting Americans against unforeseen mishaps to their homes, boats, motorcycles, and more than any other property, cars. Insuring over 16 million vehicles, 10 million of which are private passenger autos, GEICO's auto insurance division is the third-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States.

And with the new, devastating damage to the South in the recent storms, GEICO has its work cut out for it.

—AJ Register