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http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/03091811.htm

Seven killed in hailstorms in China

Beijing, July 9 (PTI): At least seven people, including two teenagers,
were killed when hail and thunderstorms hit Longnan prefecture in
north-west China's Gansu province, an official report said today.

Among the seven victims, two were swept away by mountain torrents on
July 5 while five people, including two 13-year-old primary school
students, were killed on July 7. The two students were killed by
lightning when they took shelter under a tree, Xinhua news agency
reported.

A total of 14,773 households were affected, along with over 13,000
acres of farmland, of which 10,000 acres were seriously destroyed,
according to the Gansu flood control and drought relief headquarters.

The office predicted direct economic loss of about 39 million yuan
(4.70 million US dollars).

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http://www.dailyherald.com/news_story.asp?intid=3781198

Claims for hail damages could top $90 million
By Cass Cliatt Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted July 09, 2003

For only 10 minutes on Sunday, it sounded like the sky opened up and
hurled hammers onto Mike Vitaioli's home.

Vitaioli and other residents across northern Cook County and Lake
County were still cleaning up Tuesday from the aftermath of one of the
area's worst hail storms in decades.

Golf ball-sized hail measuring up to two inches shot holes through
roofing, knocked the siding off of homes, dented cars and slashed
through trees and landscaping like machetes.

The damage across the area could reach up to $90 million, insurers
estimated.

"It sounded like somebody taking a sledgehammer to the house,"
Vitaioli said of his home on Wheeling's north side. "My truck got
damaged and my car, and there are other cars in the neighborhood that
are like Swiss cheese."

Photo courtesy of the Vitaioli Family

Shoppers in far northern Arlington Heights had to scurry for cover
when the hail began to fall around 2 p.m. Sunday.

"You could hear it hitting the pavement, like cracking the cement,"
said White Hen Pantry employee Scott Jorgensen.

Insurers said the severity of the hail storm might be second only to
the Lake Zurich area storm in 2000. That damage totaled more than $100
million.

State Farm Insurance and Allstate were among insurance companies
sending catastrophe teams this week to process claims.

"On the automobile side the early estimates call for 8,000 claims at a
total of $16 million," State Farm spokesman Joe Johnson said. Claims
for homeowners and a handful of small businesses could reach the 7,000
level for a total of $20.4 million.

The National Association of Independent Insurers estimates that State
Farm has about a 30 percent share of the insurance market. So, similar
damage projections from other insurers could hike the cost of the
storm above $90 million.

"Clearly this is a multimillion-dollar situation," said Joseph
Annotti, spokesman for the national insurers association. "All claims
aren't in yet, but to be categorized as a disaster or catastrophic
loss, insured damage has to reach $25 million."

Allstate had processed about 2,000 Illinois claims as of Tuesday for
the weekend storms.

"We won't be able to assess the full damage of this storm for awhile,"
Allstate spokesman Mike Siemienas said. "We'll get to (customers) as
soon as possible, but we have people who have homes that are literally
uninhabitable."

Dan Vojacek of US Restorations based in Mount Prospect, said his
surveys of the area have revealed individual roof damage alone up to
$12,000.

Local families are keeping their fingers crossed that insurance will
pay for their losses.

"If you need a new roof, you're talking $5,000," Patricia Steilen of
Wheeling said. "A lot of us are wondering if it's enough damage to
cover our deductible, and that's why we're calling our insurance."

Insurance adjusters were particularly busy Tuesday at unprotected
areas such as Wheeling's Bill Stasek Chevrolet, where every car in the
lot sustained damage, officials there said.

In Buffalo Grove, 36 police vehicles were pelted by hail.

"It was those cars parked unused in our parking lot, as well as cars
that were on patrol," police Commander Mike Soucy said.

Wheeling must repair 53 municipal vehicles that suffered heavy damage
and fix some rooftop heating units. The money will come from village
insurance and a liability insurance fund, not taxpayers, officials
said.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued a warning Tuesday,
telling residents to guard against scam artists preying on people who
suffer from storm damage.

All contractors should furnish written contracts, and residents should
not pay cash, Madigan said in a statement.

Stormy weather continued Tuesday. Flights at O'Hare International
Airport were delayed throughout the day, said Monique Bond,
spokeswoman for Chicago's aviation department.

There were still scattered power failures in the Northwest suburbs as
of Tuesday afternoon, ComEd officials said. According to spokeswoman
Tabrina Davis, about 950 customers in the region from Libertyville to
Mount Prospect were without power.