Insured losses from Tropical Storm Isidore are estimated at $100 million by the Louisiana Department of Insurance. The losses are for auto, homeowners, and commercial claims, and does not include flood claims.

About half of the total losses, $50 million, is from auto insurance claims, and the other half is equally divided between homeowners and commercial insurance losses, at about $25 million each.

The estimates do not include any losses for business-interruption claims, which would be filed by hotels and businesses affected by cancelled conventions and other tourism-related losses.

Acting Commissioner Robert Wooley says Tropical Storm Isidore caused significant damage but could have been much worse. "Isidore was once a Category 3 hurricane that, thankfully, never really organized once it swept into the Gulf of Mexico."

The Sept. 25, 2002, storm caused only a fraction of the damage experienced by New Orleans in a major hailstorm. The Jan. 23, 2000, hailstorm caused more than $500 million in damage.

Wooley says consumers whose property has been damaged should contact their insurance agents immediately. He also urged policyholders to be wary of unscrupulous repairmen. For more information, read How to avoid after disaster repair rip-offs.

Storm victims who need assistance contacting their insurance carrier can call the Department of Insurance at 1-800-259-5300.