Latest Flood Headlines
All the headlines from our Flood Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Iowa Lawmakers Say State Could Pay for Flooded Homes
Apr 17 2013 // Some lawmakers say a bill recently passed by the Legislature could leave taxpayers vulnerable if future flooding damages homes surrounding a lake in eastern Iowa. The measure exempts Lake Delhi along the Maquoketa River...
Louisiana Katrina/ Rita Class Action Flood Settlement Process Revised
Apr 16 2013 // A previous version of the more than $20 million settlement proposed in 2008 in a class action suit over flooding in Louisiana stemming from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has been revised. The new settlement now includes a...
Q&A: A Look at Flood Maps and What They Mean in New Jersey
Apr 15 2013 // Earlier in April, the federal government announced that it would not give grants to repair homes badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy unless the owners agreed to make sure they are in compliance with new advisory flood...
Severe Storms Hit Midwest With Snow, Ice, Winds
Apr 12 2013 // Strong storms sweeping across the Midwest damaged homes and businesses in St. Louis, toppled mobile homes and ripped the roof off a Missouri church, while burying other areas in more than a foot of snow. Missouri Gov. Jay...
FEMA Has Most New Jersey Flood Insurance Claims Settled
Apr 11 2013 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it has settled 96 percent of the post-Superstorm Sandy National Flood Insurance Program claims in New Jersey.A photo of flooded homes in the Mantoloking, N.J., region on Nov. 2,...
More Sand Bags Going Out To Limit Fire Flooding
Apr 10 2013 // Hundreds of homeowners living near the Waldo Canyon burn area in Colorado Springs are gearing up for more flooding this spring. Officials say the risk of flooding has increased nearly four-fold as a result of environmental...
Jury Finds State Farm Defrauded Flood Insurance Program
Apr 10 2013 // A federal jury in Mississippi has found that State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. avoided covering a policyholder’s wind losses by blaming the damage on storm surge, which is covered by federal flood insurance. The...
Burand’s Agency E&O Blog: Tip #29
Apr 10 2013 // Flood Insurance. Who Ever Said Mortgage Companies Know Everything About Flood Insurance? In agency after agency I visit, flood insurance is usually only offered to people if their mortgage company requires it. De facto,...
Houma, Louisiana Floodgate to Be Ready for Hurricane Season
Apr 10 2013 // The flow of the Houma Navigation Canal in Louisiana completely stopped recently for the first time in the waterway’s 50-year existence. The door of the Bubba Dove Floodgate was connected and fully closed as part of...
Laser Imaging Shows Fewer Flood Plains in Nebraska County
Apr 9 2013 // A new map shows fewer square miles of flood plains in eastern Nebraska’s Lancaster County. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that a laser imaging detection device attached to an aircraft was used to scan the county...
Connecticut Shoreline Avoids Zoning Changes After Storms
Apr 8 2013 // After hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed by storms raking Connecticut’s shoreline, a state task force recommended that local zoning codes be changed to reflect rising sea level and new flood elevations. But...
New Rules Announced for Homeowners Using Sandy Disaster Aid to Rebuild
Apr 8 2013 // Homeowners and businesses using federal disaster aid to rebuild from Superstorm Sandy will have to take additional flood protection measures, top federal officials announced last week. The new standard, announced on April...
Insurance Covered Half of U.S. Disaster Costs in 2012: Swiss Re
Apr 8 2013 // Natural catastrophes and man-made disasters caused $186 billion in economic losses globally in 2012 and took approximately 14,000 lives, according to global insurer Swiss Re’s latest sigma study. The United States...
Aon Benfield Cat Report: Severe Winter Causes $1.8bn Econ. Loss in Europe
Apr 5 2013 // The latest catastrophe report for the month of March from Impact Forecasting, the catastrophe model development center of excellence at Aon Benfield, highlights the sub-freezing temperatures across Europe, which have...
Report: 1 in 5 California Citizens Lives in Flood Zone
Apr 5 2013 // California is suffering from one of its driest winters on record, but some statewide water managers are focusing on the opposite end of the precipitation spectrum – the one-in-five residents who live in regions prone...
Heavy Rains Flood Argentina’s Capital; 5 Dead
Apr 4 2013 // Torrential rains in Argentina’s capital triggered flooding responsible for at least five deaths on Tuesday. A record 6.1 inches (155 millimeters) of rain fell in just two hours in Buenos Aires. That’s equal to...
FEMA Frustrated by Drop in North Dakota Flood Policies
Apr 1 2013 // North Dakota faces another possible major flood this spring, federal officials are frustrated by the number of people in the state who lack insurance for such a disaster. Along the Red River and its tributaries, in...
Post Office to Run Flood Insurance Program
Apr 1 2013 // Congress has authorized the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for an extended period of six months, or until the next unscheduled primary, whichever occurs first. As part of the compromise worked out between...
Katrina, Sandy Offer Similar Lessons for Builders
Mar 28 2013 // Lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy about how best to limit damage to buildings closely track those of Katrina, a federal engineer said. Elevating generators and pumps is a good idea but enclosing elevated foundations...
Flood Insurance Policyholders Told to Expect Big Premium Hikes
Mar 28 2013 // The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said people who buy federal flood insurance need to plan for big rate hikes. FEMA director Craig Fugate said some people now paying hundreds of dollars a year could wind...
