Latest Flood Headlines

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

Central Europe Hit by Rains, Floods and Landslides: AIR Analysis

Jun 4 2013 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has released a report on the current heavy rains and floods that have inundated large parts of Central Europe during the past several weeks, causing “some of the worst floods...

Lincoln, Nebraska Flood-Control Project Gets a Workout

Jun 3 2013 // Lincoln, Neb.’s Antelope Valley flood-control project got a workout with recent heavy rains, but diverted water as it was designed to do, officials said. The water that poured into the channel on the night of May 29...

Germany, Czech Republic Brace for more Flooding after Heavy Rains

Jun 3 2013 // Heavy rainfall swelled already full rivers in southern and eastern Germany on Saturday, prompting authorities to reinforce flood defenses after at least two people drowned in recent days. Water levels on the Rhine, Danube...

Tokyo Prepares for a 1-in-200-Year Flood to Top Sandy

Jun 3 2013 // Tokyo, the world’s most populated metropolis, is building defenses for the possibility of a flood in the next 200 years that could dwarf the damage superstorm Sandy wrought on the U.S. East Coast. Japan’s...

Central U.S. Warned of Severe Storms With Tornadoes, Floods Today

May 31 2013 // Severe thunderstorms, baseball-sized hail, flooding and possibly tornadoes may sweep across parts of Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas today, according to the U.S. Storm Prediction Center. There’s a 45 percent chance...

Hurricane Barbara Wind, Rain, Flood Damages in Mexico: AIR Analysis

May 31 2013 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has released a preliminary analysis of the damages caused by Hurricane Barbara, when it came ashore in the state of Chiapas on Mexico’s Pacific coast on Wednesday, May 29, at...

Iowa At Tipping Point For Major Flood Event, Disaster Declared

May 30 2013 // This spring is now the wettest on record in Iowa. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says statewide average rainfall of more than 16.4 inches is the most rain in March, April and May in 141 years of records. The previous...

Corps Takes Flood Study To St. James

May 29 2013 // St. James Parish residents are getting a look at an Army Corps of Engineers plan to reduce storm-surge risk from area lakes in Louisiana. Army Corps officials outlined a feasibility study focusing on risk-reduction...

Louisiana’s Sen. Landrieu Seeks to Delay Flood Insurance Increases

May 24 2013 // Sen. Mary Landrieu filed legislation this week to delay flood insurance increases for many residents and businesses in southern Louisiana that officials fear could begin skyrocketing at the end of the year. The National...

Illinois Lawmakers Seek Disaster Declaration in 16 Counties

May 23 2013 // Illinois’ congressional delegation has asked President Obama to add 16 Illinois counties to the list of those eligible to receive disaster aid after last month’s flooding. The letter was sent to support a...

Commentary: Accounting for Non-Modeled Sources of Loss

May 23 2013 // The purpose of modeling is to anticipate the likelihood and severity of catastrophes so that companies can prepare for their financial impact — before they occur. The evidence suggests that, for the most part,...

Record Rain Leading to Flooding in North Dakota

May 22 2013 // Heavy rains that have been falling since late last week have led to flooding in North Dakota that has forced some residents from their homes and threatened a dam. Water from a creek and water that is moving overland...

Property Market Stayed Stable in Q1; Sandy Effect on Rates Muted: Marsh

May 22 2013 // The property insurance market remained relatively stable and competitive in the first quarter of 2013, with few changes to limits purchased and deductibles, according to a benchmarking report from broker Marsh. Superstorm...

Lafourche Parish Plans $6M in Flood Projects

May 21 2013 // Louisiana’s Lafourche Parish is preparing to begin more than $6 million in flood protection projects for the Raceland and Des Allemands areas. The Daily Comet reports the work includes revamping two pump stations and...

Texas Joins Flood of States Suing BP over 2010 Gulf Spill

May 21 2013 // Texas has joined the crowd of Gulf of Mexico states to file suit against BP Plc, Halliburton Co and others for their role in one of the worst oil spills in U.S. history. The complaint, filed Friday in U.S. District Court...

Christie Unveils Buyout Offer to New Jersey Flood Victims

May 17 2013 // Some 350 homeowners in the central New Jersey towns of Sayreville and South River whose properties have flooded repeatedly will be eligible to sell their homes in the first phase of a new federally funded buyback program,...

UN: $2.5 Trillion in Global Disaster Losses Since 2000

May 17 2013 // Economic losses from disasters since 2000 are in the range of $2.5 trillion, a figure at least 50 percent higher than previous international estimates, according to a U.N. report. The U.N. Office for Disaster Risk...

2012 Indianapolis Flooding Becomes Costly for City

May 14 2013 // The city of Indianapolis faces possibly paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a restaurant badly damaged by flooding during a downpour a year ago. City officials found that inspectors failed to properly activate an...

State Farm Appeals Katrina Fraud Ruling in Mississippi

May 13 2013 // State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. is asking a judge to void a jury’s finding that the company defrauded the government involving a policyholder claim after Hurricane Katrina. Motions filed in U.S. District Court in...

Officials Say Costs from North Dakota Flooding Adding Up

May 13 2013 // Although spring flooding in North Dakota wasn’t as bad advertised in some areas, officials who are totaling the damages say the costs are piling up. The question is whether the final figure will impress the federal...