Latest Flood Headlines
All the headlines from our Flood Topic Page, ordered by recency.
West Virginia Spared Worst of Florence Rains, Floods
Sep 20 2018 // Worried West Virginians got a reprieve when forecasts of potential devastating floods didn’t come to fruition from the remnants of Hurricane Florence. The storm brought 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) of rain in...
Florence Floods: Hurricane Rating System Fails to Account for Deadly Rain
Sep 19 2018 // When meteorologists downgraded Hurricane Florence from a powerful Category 4 storm to a Category 2 and then a Category 1, Wayne Mills figured he could stick it out. He regrets it. The Neuse River, normally 150 feet away,...
After Florence Floods, Uninsured Awaken to Painful Reality
Sep 19 2018 // Flood insurance was far from Stephanie Walker’s mind in 2015 when she moved her family into a home in Fayetteville in central North Carolina, nearly 200 miles (320 km) from the coast. The next year, a creek at the...
Duke Restores Power to 1.2 Million in Carolinas as Florence Heads North
Sep 18 2018 // Duke Energy Corp., the biggest utility in the Carolinas, has faced a three-front war as it battles back against the wet and dangerously wild effects of Hurricane Florence. The company restored power to almost 80 percent of...
Hydroelectric Dams Operating at Peak to Manage Florence’s Floods
Sep 18 2018 // Florence’s driving rains are forcing hydroelectric dam operators to run generators at full tilt and open flood gates that haven’t been used in more than 20 years. The Tennessee Valley Authority — which...
Hurricane Florence’s Surge Is Expected to Hit Homes That Already Cost the Government Millions: ProPublica
Sep 18 2018 // Though the flooding from Hurricane Florence is predicted to be unprecedented, residents of the coastal North Carolina towns threatened by the storm surge know what it’s like to take on water. Some homes in these...
Hurricane Florence Likely to Expose Gaps in Flood Insurance
Sep 17 2018 // The number of Americans with flood insurance is on the rise, yet Hurricane Florence is likely to make it painfully clear that too many homeowners in the Carolinas and other vulnerable regions remain unprotected. . An...
Virginia Museum Workers Act Fast to Protect Valuable Collection in Hurricane Florence
Sep 17 2018 // The Durand-Ruel sisters didn’t dress for hurricane season. The eldest had on a wide-brimmed hat, the kind one would take to a high-society garden party. Both wore white gowns that looked as though their sheerness...
A.M. Best Sees Recent Floods Having Limited Effect on India’s Insurers’ Ratings
Sep 17 2018 // A.M. Best said it does not expect flooding in the Indian state of Kerala to have a significant impact on the balance sheet strength of rated Indian non-life insurers; however, the losses may add to the unfavorable...
Carolinians Must Wait for Flood Waters to Recede to Assess Florence’s Damage
Sep 17 2018 // Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, 9:55 am — Record-setting, still-rising floods covering much of eastern North Carolina are preventing companies, regulators and environmental groups from making a comprehensive assessment of damage...
Congress Should Amend Definition of Private Flood
Sep 17 2018 // Historically, the surplus lines market has served as a supplement to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and standard market, but the passage of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 caused some...
Florence Floods Cause Sewage, Coal Ash Spills
Sep 16 2018 // A Duke Energy Corp. landfill near Wilmington, North Carolina, failed under the assault of Tropical Storm Florence, spilling about 2,000 cubic yards of coal ash that can carry toxic mercury, arsenic and lead. Authorities...
Florence’s Winds Slow But Serious Floods Continue; Death Count Rising
Sep 16 2018 // Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, 1:57 pm —The still-potent remnants of Hurricane Florence marched through the Carolinas on Sunday and as the winds weakened the flood grew only stronger. New Hanover County and the city of...
Update: Category 1 Hurricane Florence Lands in Carolinas, Threatening Floods, Tornadoes, Power Outages
Sep 14 2018 // Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina, leaving more than half a million people without power and facing at least another day of heavy rain and wind. Florence made landfall near Wrightsville Beach Friday as a Category 1...
Wind, Storm Surge Losses from Florence Could Reach $5B; Top 10 Insurers Affected in Carolinas
Sep 14 2018 // This enhanced satellite image made available by NOAA shows Hurricane Florence off the eastern coast of the United States on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 at 5:52 p.m. EDT. (NOAA via AP) Hurricane Florence was downgraded to a...
Hurricane Florence Could Pressure Congress to Extend NFIP, IIAV’s Bradshaw Says
Sep 13 2018 // Hurricane Florence could put pressure on U.S. Congress to extend the National Flood Insurance Program, but “it is still an open question as to whether it will lead to a comprehensive reform bill passing,”...
Louisiana Parishes to Share $41M for Flood Control Project
Sep 13 2018 // Six of Louisiana’s coastal parishes will split more than $41 million to pay for projects aimed at fortifying communities against coastal land loss and rising seas. Ten projects in Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines,...
Looming Florence Heaps Despair on Rural U.S. Towns Ravaged by Matthew
Sep 13 2018 // When Hurricane Matthew submerged the small town of Fair Bluff, North Carolina, two years ago, Eve Waddell thought she had witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime disaster. “You’ll never see that again,” she...
North, South Carolina Insurance Chiefs Ready for Hurricane Florence
Sep 13 2018 // Hurricane Florence could be one of the largest storms to hit the Carolinas in decades and state insurance officials say they are ready for whatever it will bring to their regions. In interviews with Insurance Journal on...
Weekend Flooding from Tropical Storm Gordon Kills 1 in Kentucky
Sep 12 2018 // One person has been reported killed and one remains missing after weekend flooding spawned by the remnants of last week’s Tropical Storm Gordon. Louisville, Kentucky, Metro Police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley tells the...
