Latest Flood Headlines
All the headlines from our Flood Topic Page, ordered by recency.
1st Half 2013 Natural Disasters Cost $85 Billion – Aon Benfield
Jul 25 2013 // A mid-year natural disaster analysis from Impact Forecasting, the catastrophe model development center of excellence at Aon Benfield, puts economic losses from global natural disasters at $85 billion, higher than the $75...
Flood Insurance an Issue in Louisiana’s U.S. Senate Race
Jul 24 2013 // U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and her Senate race challenger, U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, are jockeying for credit and prominence on a high-profile problem for many Louisiana residents: the skyrocketing cost of flood insurance...
Canada’s Intact Financial Sees $454 Mn Flood Losses; $24.2 Mn Train Crash
Jul 23 2013 // Canadian P&C insurer Intact Financial said it expected quarterly results would be hurt by losses from a train derailment and fiery explosion in a Quebec town and storm and flood damage in Canada’s oil capital,...
Severe Flooding Can Happen In a Flash, Tennessee City Learns
Jul 23 2013 // This is why they call it a flash flood. A rainy night in South Pittsburg, Tenn., on July 10 quickly turned into something legendary. Relentless rains spawned a newborn river that decided to make its way right through...
Coastal Lawmakers Seek Delays in Flood Insurance Changes
Jul 22 2013 // Just a year after Congress approved changes in the oft-criticized federal flood insurance program, protests from homeowners facing higher premiums have coastal lawmakers pressing for delays to preserve below-cost rates for...
FEMA Asked to Review Flood Insurance Rules
Jul 22 2013 // U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to consider reversing denials of Superstorm Sandy flood claims based on the “earth movement” exclusion. Gillibrand said...
New York Provides $16M to Some Flooded Upstate Counties
Jul 18 2013 // The state will provide $16 million to homeowners, business operators and farmers in five of the 12 upstate counties that were declared disaster areas after recent severe flooding but denied federal aid, Gov. Andrew Cuomo...
N.J. Gov. Christie Announces More Flood Buyouts
Jul 18 2013 // The floodwaters from Superstorm Sandy gushed in through Bob and Pat Smith’s porch windows and didn’t stop rising till reaching the 6-foot mark. The Smiths marked the insurgence with a piece of black electrical...
SCOR Estimates Net Pre-tax Losses from Alberta Floods at $52 Million
Jul 18 2013 // French reinsurer SCOR Group announced that “the June flood event in Alberta, which resulted in mass evacuations of people from their homes and major disruption to the Central Business District of Calgary, may...
What’s Really Going on with Flood Rates? FEMA Provides Some Clarity
Jul 17 2013 // In recent months, a group of lawmakers from the Gulf Coast — led by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. — in concert with some of their colleagues from Sandy-hit New York and New Jersey have been doing their darnedest to...
Meteorologists Warn Of Wyoming Burn-Area Floods, Slides
Jul 12 2013 // Meteorologists are warning of possible flash floods and mudslides in many of the areas burned by Wyoming’s numerous wildfires last year. Wildfires contribute to flooding and mudslides by clearing away vegetation that...
President Signs Disaster Declaration For Montana Floods
Jul 12 2013 // President Barack Obama has signed a disaster declaration making federal money available to help the state, local and tribal governments repair or replace facilities damaged by flooding in north-central and northeastern...
Heavy Rains Cause Major Floods, Mudslides in China: AIR Worldwide
Jul 12 2013 // AIR Worldwide reports that “days of heavy rain across the mountainous Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of southwestern China have caused widespread flooding and triggered landslides. Official reports state that 99...
Europe’s Floods Top Aon Benfield’s List of June’s Catastrophes
Jul 11 2013 // The latest report from Impact Forecasting, the catastrophe model development center of excellence at Aon Benfield, which reviews the natural disasters that occurred worldwide during June 2013, highlights the $22 billion in...
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner to Storm Survivors: Register With FEMA
Jul 10 2013 // Survivors of the tornadoes, severe storms and flooding that occurred in Oklahoma from May 18 to June 2 have less than two weeks to register for state and federal disaster assistance. The deadline is July 19. “Even if...
Flash Flood Triggers Blackouts, Transport Chaos in Toronto: AIR Analysis
Jul 10 2013 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide reports that “after days of heavy precipitation, a torrential thunderstorm on July 8th dropped an additional ten centimeters [app. 4 inches] of rain on Canada’s largest...
South Indiana City Awaits FEMA Ruling on Floodplain Maps
Jul 9 2013 // A southern Indiana city is awaiting a federal agency’s decision on revised floodplain maps that could save more than 400 homeowners thousands of dollars each year in insurance costs. The Federal Emergency Management...
Flood Losses Dominate Disaster Count in 1st Half of 2013: Munich Re
Jul 9 2013 // Floods caused billions of dollars in losses and dominated the natural catastrophe statistics for the first half of 2013, according to a study released by Munich Re. “Around 47 percent of the overall losses and 45...
Coastal Lawmakers Seek Delays in Flood Insurance Changes, Rate Hikes
Jul 8 2013 // Just a year after Congress imposed significant changes in the government’s oft-criticized flood insurance program, howls of protest from homeowners facing higher premiums have coastal lawmakers pressing for delays...
More Rain Floods Vermont, 2 Drownings Prompt Warnings
Jul 8 2013 // With multiple drownings in fast-moving rivers in recent days, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin on July 5 warned residents to be extremely cautious about trying to beat the heat at their favorite swimming hole. “That river...
