etc.) News

Most Americans Say Flood Insurance is Important But Don’t Buy It: Survey

More than four in five Americans (81 percent) know that a standard homeowner’s insurance policy doesn’t cover flood damage, but even so the vast majority of homeowners do not purchase flood insurance. A 2012 poll by the Insurance Information Institute …

Arkansas Governor Issues Disaster Declaration Following Snow Storm

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe issued a disaster declaration after a Christmas Day storm dumped snow and ice throughout the state and caused power outages to over 200,000 residents. Beebe issued the declaration Wednesday afternoon. The outages comprise more than a …

Alaska Increases Estimate of Salmon Disaster

Alaska’s Commerce commissioner says the disaster from poor king salmon returns was worse than first estimated. In a letter to the state’s congressional delegation, Susan Bell says commercial fishery permit holders lost an estimated $16.8 million in direct revenue. She …

Feds Grant Hawaii $1.3M for Tsunami Sirens

The U.S. Commerce Department says it will grant Hawaii $1.3 million to upgrade its disaster preparedness system and build new tsunami warning sirens. U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank said in a Friday statement that the money is meant to help …

Deadline for Cheap North Dakota Flood Rebuilding Loans Looms

Jessica Henderson’s Minot home had just been painstakingly gutted and remodeled, from the basement on up, when the flooding Souris River put its main floor under four feet of water last summer. When it came time to rebuild again, Henderson …

Government Declares Disasters In 4 Mont. Counties

The U.S. Agriculture Department has declared Broadwater, Gallatin, Jefferson and Silver Bow counties disaster areas, making farmers and ranchers there eligible for low-interest emergency loans. The assistance is meant to help the agricultural industry recover from drought and fire. Seven …

Florida Governor Opens Disaster Fund

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has announced that the state is activating Florida’s disaster fund to help residents who suffered property losses from Hurricane Isaac and Tropical Storm Debbie. Earlier this week, Hurricane Isaac made its way through the Florida Keys …

FEMA Declares Disaster In NW Wis. Due To Flooding

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has declared a major disaster for three northwestern Wisconsin counties due to flood damage in June. Gov. Scott Walker said Thursday that FEMA granted the disaster declaration he sought for Ashland, Bayfield, and Douglas counties …

Two Montana Counties Declare Drought Disasters

Yellowstone and Stillwater county commissions in Montana have declared drought disasters in their counties. Officials say low rainfall and warm temperatures have created conditions that one farmer says are not usually seen until mid-September. Yellowstone County agricultural agent Steve Lackman says …

Feds OK Help for Mich. Fruit Growers Hammered by Weather

The federal government has declared Michigan a disaster area because of damage to fruit crops from erratic spring weather, making growers eligible to seek low-interest loans. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture had granted …