Latest Flood Headlines
All the headlines from our Flood Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Memphis Battles Rising Mississippi River
May 10 2011 // The Mississippi rose toward the highest level ever in the river city of Memphis, flooding pockets of low-lying neighborhoods and forcing more than 1,000 people from their homes, though the water was not threatening the...
Risky Business: Insurance Industry Entering ‘New Era’ of Catastrophes
May 10 2011 // Given the recent flooding, hurricanes and earthquakes, it appears the number of catastrophic events that inflict mass casualties and severe economic losses has increased — so much so that Dr. Erwann Michel-Kerjan,...
Projection Shows Omaha Flood Could Displace 7,000
May 10 2011 // More than 7,100 people would be displaced and damage could run close to $700 million if the Omaha, Neb., area were to experience a flood of the Papillion Creek Watershed on par with one that soaked much of Ames, Iowa, last...
Help Available in Midwest States Affected by Flooding, Violent Weather
May 9 2011 // Midwest residents who suffered damage from flooding, tornados, and other recent severe weather events may qualify for help from federal and state governments in the wake of official disaster declarations. Southern Illinois...
Lake Flooding Continues to Plague Vermont and New York
May 6 2011 // At one end of the Burlington, Vermont neighborhood, 16-year-old Nathan Shappy was filling sandbags to put around his family’s house. Nearby, Maria Spadanuda waded through 8-inch deep floodwaters surrounding her home,...
Insurers Fight Over Flood Policies Dropped by State Farm
May 6 2011 // Major U.S. insurers jostled on Capitol Hill this week over control of 800,000 former State Farm flood insurance policies as lawmakers tried to advance reform of the nation’s flood insurance system. The conflict began...
Louisiana Prepares for Higher Water Levels Than Expected
May 5 2011 // Emergency officials in Louisiana are preparing for even higher Mississippi River water levels than had previously been estimated, after additional rain fell in the lower Ohio River Valley, according to Gov. Bobby...
Missouri Farmers Sue Over Levee Breach; Feds Say Help Available
May 5 2011 // The dramatic, late-night demolition of a huge earthen levee sent chocolate-colored floodwaters pouring onto thousands of acres of Missouri farmland on May 3, easing the threat to a tiny Illinois town being menaced by the...
Insurers Fight Over Flood Insurance Policies Dropped by State Farm
May 5 2011 // Major U.S. insurers jostled on Capitol Hill this week over control of 800,000 former State Farm flood insurance policies as lawmakers tried to advance reform of the nation’s flood insurance system. The conflict began...
Mayor Orders Flood-Threatened Illinois City Evacuated
May 2 2011 // Authorities in a southern Illinois city menaced by two dangerously swollen rivers said on May 1 that most of the city’s remaining residents have heeded a mandatory evacuation order, prompted by river water seeping up...
Spring Flooding Renews Concerns over National Flood Insurance Program Expiration
May 2 2011 // For agents across much of the Northeast, the last several months have brought spates of spring flooding — and has served as a reminder for what is poised to become a political battle this fall over frequent lapses and...
Web Exchange
May 2 2011 // InsuranceJournal.com Reader Poll Do you think P/C insurers, rating agencies and regulators place too much emphasis on computerized catastrophe models? Yes (146 votes) 68.87% No (39 votes) 18.4% Not sure (27 votes) 12.74%...
Wind and Rain Lash Indiana as Flood Threat Looms
Apr 29 2011 // The same storm system that spawned tornadoes that killed hundreds in the South dumped more rain April 28 on parts of Indiana already bracing for floods and toppled trees onto cars along a busy highway. No injuries were...
Northern New York Hit by Severe Flooding, Road Washouts
Apr 28 2011 // Dozens of roads are closed in northern New York after severe storms dumped more than 2 1/2 inches of rain, causing extensive flooding and washing out at least one bridge. Local media report that heavy rain late Tuesday and...
Levees Strain in Midwest; Volunteers Keep Fighting
Apr 28 2011 // Twelve hours into a sandbagging shift, and working through a driving storm punctuated by lightning and loud claps of thunder, Casey Lee wasn’t ready to quit. Not until the makeshift levee protecting tiny Dutchtown in...
Illinois Insurance Dept. Issues Warning on Adjusters; Urges Flood Coverage
Apr 28 2011 // The Illinois Department of Insurance is warning homeowners about unsolicited offers of help from insurance adjusters after recent storms in southern Illinois. The agency says these unaffiliated adjusters claim they can get...
Spring Flooding Renews Concerns over Flood Program
Apr 27 2011 // For agents across much of the Northeast, the last month has brought spates of spring flooding and storms — and has served as a reminder for what is poised to become a political battle this year over frequent lapses and...
Mississippi River Nears Highest Levels Since 1937
Apr 27 2011 // The National Weather Service has forecast that the Mississippi River will crest at Vicksburg and Natchez at the highest levels since 1937. Forecasts are the river will crest at 52.5 feet in Vicksburg on May 13 and at 60...
Calif. Businesses, Residents Urged to Consider Flood Insurance
Apr 21 2011 // While California may have survived this past winter’s storms, experts are urging businesses and residents to consider flood insurance. The state’s winters storms left behind a massive snow pack 165 percent...
Cattle, Crops at Risk From North Dakota Floods, Snow
Apr 21 2011 // Snowstorms on top of flooding in North Dakota have not yet resulted in many cattle deaths as feared, but lingering cold, wet weather threatens the state’s herd, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official said. Spring...
