Latest Flood Headlines

All the headlines from our Flood Topic Page, ordered by recency.

New Estimates Say UK Floods Could Cost Insurers up to $2.5 Billion

Feb 28 2014 // An additional £500 million [$838 million] has been added to the flood loss estimates from the almost continual storms, some reaching hurricane strength, which have produced widespread flooding to parts of Britain since...

UK Continues to Face Flood Risk Despite Falling River Levels: AIR Analysis

Feb 27 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, this winter has been the wettest in the United Kingdom since detailed data was first published in 1910, and the rainfall total for January was the highest recorded...

N.J. Court Seeking Ways to Expedite Sandy Flood Litigation Process

Feb 26 2014 // A New Jersey federal court is seeking ways to expedite the litigation process for hundreds of flood insurance coverage-related cases that have been filed in wake of Superstorm Sandy. The U.S. District Court for the...

Report Projects L.A.’s Vulnerability To Future Sea Level Rise

Feb 26 2014 // Los Angelenos may expect to experience sea level rise of as much as two feet due by 2050 due to climate change, according to current projections. A team from USC partnered with the Los Angeles to gauge the impact of the...

Direct Line Says Cost of U.K. Floods Could Reach $183.6 Million

Feb 26 2014 // Direct Line Insurance Group Plc, seen as one of the insurers most vulnerable to losses from the recent U.K. storms, said weather claims may cost as much £110 million ($183.6 million) as full-year profit jumped. Pretax...

Guy Carpenter Launches Satellite-Based Catastrophe Evaluation Service

Feb 25 2014 // Guy Carpenter & Co., the global risk and reinsurance specialist and member of Marsh & McLennan Companies, has announced the launch of its new satellite-based catastrophe evaluation service, GC CAT-VIEWSM. It has...

New Orleans’ Levees Accredited; May Lead to Lower Flood Insurance Rates

Feb 24 2014 // The Federal Emergency Management Administration has declared the New Orleans area levee system accredited, clearing the way for the improved storm surge protection to be incorporated into National Flood Insurance Program...

In Vermont, Snow Piles Prompt Threat of Possible Spring Floods

Feb 24 2014 // A series of February snowstorms have piled up the snow in the mountains of Vermont heading into the last month of winter and emergency planners and weather forecasters are starting to prepare for the possibility of...

Private Flood Insurance Bill Passes West Virginia Senate

Feb 24 2014 // A bill to create a private flood insurance option in West Virginia has passed unanimously in the Senate. Sen. Rocky Fitzsimmons said his bill provides residents with more flood insurance options and would help lower...

House Republicans Release Flood Insurance Relief Bill

Feb 24 2014 // House GOP leaders last week put the final touches on legislation that would significantly water down a recently enacted overhaul of the much criticized federal flood insurance program, easing many premium increases and...

Aviva, RSA, Direct Line Face Heaviest Losses from UK Floods

Feb 24 2014 // Aviva Plc, RSA Insurance Group Plc, and Direct Line Group Plc are poised to bear the brunt of losses from flooding in Britain that is estimated to cost the industry as much as £1 billion ($1.667 billion). Aviva, the...

22 Charged in Florida Staged Flood, Fire Fraud Ring

Feb 24 2014 // A major fraud ring that staged fires and floods at South Florida homes to collect millions of dollars in claims from insurance companies has been broken up with charges against 22 people, authorities said. The alleged...

Disaster Aid For Colorado Flooding Surpasses $267M

Feb 24 2014 // Since heavy rains brought flooding in September 2013, Colorado survivors have received more than $267 million in federal and state recovery assistance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. More than $219...

Private Flood Insurance Agency Now Selling in 15 States

Feb 24 2014 // A Florida agency selling private flood insurance said it is now selling the coverage in 15 states and making it available to commercial risks and apartment buildings. According to Evan Hecht, CEO of The Flood Insurance...

Indiana Homeowners Fear Flood Insurance Sticker Shock

Feb 21 2014 // Homeowner Wally Cantrell’s finished basement was destroyed in the June 2008 flood in Columbus, Ind., but his flood insurance policy helped cover a good bit of the repairs. Now, Cantrell wonders if he will soon face a...

Louisiana Governor Asks Congress to Stop Flood Insurance Hikes

Feb 20 2014 // After months largely silent on the issue,Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is urging congressional leaders to stop higher flood insurance premiums from hitting homeowners and businesses. Jindal sent a letter to the Republican...

Cincinnati Officials Say Levee Decision Forced Flood Insurance Purchases

Feb 19 2014 // Two city council members in Cincinnati, Ohio, say they want to know more about the decision to decertify a flood levee, which forced hundreds of property owners in Cincinnati to buy flood insurance. Councilman Charlie...

Consumer Group Blasts ‘Misleading’ Senate Bill to Delay Flood Insurance Hikes

Feb 19 2014 // The House of Representatives should defeat flood insurance legislation passed by the Senate in January because it “would have the effect of misleading tens of thousands of homeowners concerning their vulnerability to...

Flooded U.K. Homeowners Face Declining Values: No Mortgages or Insurance

Feb 19 2014 // Homeowners in some of Britain’s wealthiest districts face a drop in property values and the prospect their homes may be uninsurable as record floods blight towns along the River Thames. About 5,800 homes have been...

West Virginia Bill Would Authorize Sale of Private Flood Insurance

Feb 18 2014 // West Virginia state Senator Rocky Fitzsimmons (D-Ohio) has introduced a bill that would authorize private insurers to offer flood insurance in West Virginia. Since federal law changes in 2012, some West Virginians have...