Latest Flood Headlines

AP: New Orleans Repeating Deadly Levee Mistakes

Aug 25 2008 // Signs are emerging that history is repeating itself in New Orleans, still healing from Katrina: People have forgotten what happened after Hurricane Betsy caused catastrophic flooding four decades ago and again believe the...

Update: Largest Florida Insurers Report Homeowners, Auto and Flood Claims

Aug 24 2008 // Insurers continue to tally claims from Tropical Storm Fay after its fourth landfall occurred on the Panhandle. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation compiled and released the latest numbers from some of the...

Florida Insurance Regulator: Hurricane Deductible Does Not Apply

Aug 22 2008 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty issued an advisory to remind Florida consumers and authorized insurers that the hurricane deductible of their homeowner’s policy does not apply at this time —...

Different Causes Found for New Hampshire 2006, 2007 Floods

Aug 22 2008 // Evaluation of the New Hampshire floods of May 2006 and April 2007 show that they were caused by different events. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says that the May 2006 flooding was unusual because of the sheer...

Firm Sues Iowa City Challenging Decision on Flood-damaged Buildings

Aug 22 2008 // A Florida company has filed a lawsuit against Cedar Rapids, Iowa challenging the city’s decision to reject its bid to demolish flood-damaged buildings. Bunnell, Fla.-based Bamaco Inc., filed its lawsuit on August 19...

Declarations

Aug 21 2008 // Declarations Mass. Expansion – Vermont Mutual CEO Thomas Tierney, commenting on his company’s decision to enter the Massachusetts personal auto insurance market. It is the second company this month –...

Tornado Threats Loom Large as Flood Waters Recede

Aug 21 2008 // Kansas had 1,616 tornadoes, 11 of them were F4 tornadoes and nine were categorized as F5. … The number of tornadoes reported has gone up over 50 percent. Much has been written in the last six weeks about the 2008...

Aug 21 2008 // Fifteen years ago, after the Midwest was swamped with what was pronounced a “100-year” or even a “500-year” flood, some folks figured they would never again see such a disaster in their lifetime....

Cleaning Up After Hurricane Katrina

Aug 21 2008 // In both Mississippi and Louisiana, the principal argument in support of the alleged ambiguity was that the flood waters during Hurricane Katrina were pushed ashore by wind, a covered peril, and the flood exclusion did not...

National Insurer Wants to Include Flood Coverage in Home Policies

Aug 21 2008 // One of the nation’s largest insurance companies is lobbying Congress for permission to sell policies that cover damage from both wind and flood water, a plan billed as a way for insurers and homeowners to avoid...

Survey: Despite Need, Only 17% of Americans Have Flood Insurance

Aug 21 2008 // Record widespread flooding across the Midwest has once again highlighted the catastrophic dam- ages that flooding can cause. Yet a survey conducted for the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) revealed that only 17...

S&P Advises Floods Could Lead to Ratings Actions on Midwest-Focused Insurers

Aug 21 2008 // An aerial photo shows a flooded area of downtown looking North over Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 13, 2008. Interstate I-380 can be seen on the left while Mays Island, with Cedar Rapids City Hall, is seen on the right with its...

Hundreds Flee Village in Arizona Canyon Hit by Flood

Aug 20 2008 // More than 250 residents and tourists have evacuated an American Indian village in a remote, scenic offshoot of the Grand Canyon after weekend flooding that wrecked trails and nearly washed away some river rafters in the...

Flood Recovery Efforts in Iowa Slowed by Government Estimates

Aug 20 2008 // Victims of record flooding are paying mortgages, taxes and repairs on houses that might need to be destroyed, and some are blaming federal and state officials for a slow response. The lengthy process to get federal buyout...

Flooding Recedes in South Texas After Foot of Rain

Aug 20 2008 // The main highway in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley was open to traffic again Aug. 19 as flooding receded following a deluge of up to 13 inches of rain across southern Texas. The torrential rain flooded an estimated 750...

Flood & Peterson Distributes $2.7 Million in Workers’ Comp Insurance Dividends

Aug 20 2008 // Greeley, Colo.-based Flood & Peterson Insurance recently distributed $2.7 million in workers’ compensation dividend checks to 1,227 Colorado clients as a reward for maintaining safe workplaces. The $2.7 million...

Congress to Consider Status of South Carolina Beach Property

Aug 18 2008 // A coastal South Carolina congressman is seeking to allow an undeveloped section of Kiawah Island beachfront to qualify for federal money for roads, flood insurance and renourishment, making it more attractive for...

Bush Declares Disaster for Two New Mexico Counties

Aug 18 2008 // President Bush has declared a disaster in two southern New Mexico counties due to severe flooding that killed one man, destroyed homes, washed out bridges and prompted hundreds of rescues last month. Gov. Bill Richardson...

New Hampshire Woman Sues City over 2007 Flooding

Aug 14 2008 // A Rochester, New Hampshire woman is suing the city, alleging it did not maintain a dam, causing her home to be devastated by flooding last year. Rufus Roux’s home was damaged in April 2007, when heavy rain and...

New York Flood Insurance Notification Rules Change at Month’s End

Aug 14 2008 // New York home insurers must begin sending annual flood notices to their clients at the end of this month, part of a rules changes that goes into effect Aug 31. The New York Insurace Department has begun sending a circular...