Latest Hurricane Headlines

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

GOV. EXTENDS STATE OF EMERGENCY

Oct 3 2005 // Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco extended Louisiana’s State of Emergency until Oct. 25, effectively extending the emergency insurance rules implemented by the state’s Commissioner of Insurance Robert Wooley. The...

TDI STAFF ASSISTING STORM VICTIMS

Oct 3 2005 // The Texas Department of Insurance announced that beginning Sept. 26, staff members were deployed to its Houston Insurance Assistance Center to assist Hurricane Rita victims with their insurance questions and claims,...

Up and Running Again

Oct 3 2005 // Although Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are behind us, hurricane season continues through the end of November. And while it does, residents on the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts are picking up the pieces and rebuilding their lives,...

How Did Catastrophe Models Weather Katrina?

Oct 3 2005 // While it’s too early to tell if the highly touted computer catastrophe models met expectations for Hurricane Katrina, there are indications the models didn’t work as well as some insurers had hoped. Several...

New Report Warns of Rising Threat to US Insurers from Climate Change

Oct 3 2005 // Higher premiums, coverage restrictions already hitting many parts of country Hurricane Katrina is a poignant reminder that U.S. insurers, government and consumers are at enormous risk from escalating losses from hurricanes...

Citizens COO Quits; Investigations Ongoing After Kickback Accusations

Oct 3 2005 // Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Chief Operating Officer R. Paul Hulsebusch is facing accusations by Universal Risk Insur-ance Services in Houston, Texas, that after last year’s hurricanes he sought kickbacks from...

News Briefs

Oct 3 2005 // ALABAMA Ala. Commissioner Asks Carriers for 60 Day Grace Period Alabama Insu-rance Commissioner Walter Bell has asked all carriers to provide a 60-day grace period for customers who have claims related to Hurricane Katrina...

Miss. Attorney General Hood

Oct 3 2005 // Five major insurance companies were recently sued by Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, who charged that insurance adjusters attempted to cheat Hurricane Katrina survivors out of millions of dollars in...

How Did Catastrophe Models Weather Katrina?

Oct 3 2005 // While it’s too early to tell if the highly touted computer catastrophe models met expectations for Hurricane Katrina, there are indications the models didn’t work as well as some insurers had hoped. Several...

After the Wreckage, Hurricane Katrina Spawns Lawsuits

Oct 3 2005 // Shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform issued a statement warning that the financial wreckage caused by Hurricane Katrina could...

Hurricane Rita Losses Not as High as Previous Storms

Oct 3 2005 // But destruction will add to totals from Dennis, Katrina and Ophelia. While indications are that damages from Hurricane Rita won’t come close to equaling those of its immediate predecessor, Hurricane Katrina, that...

News Briefs

Oct 3 2005 // ARKANSAS The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute reported that Ar-kansas’ workers’ compensation system has experienced a period of stability after extensive reforms were passed in 1993, but...

Editor’s Note: Picking Up the Pieces

Oct 3 2005 // Although Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are behind us, hurricane season continues through the end of November. And while it does, residents on the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts are picking up the pieces and rebuilding their lives,...

Hurricane Katrina: The Legal Saga Begins

Oct 3 2005 // The New Orleans tragedy may spawn a wave of litigation related to flood protection and levee failures. Public statements, which may serve as a foundation for massive public safety legal claims, began Sept. 1. Based on the...

New Report Warns of Rising Threat to US Insurers from Climate Change

Oct 3 2005 // Higher premiums, coverage restrictions already hitting many parts of country. Hurricane Katrina is a poignant reminder that U.S. insurers, government and consumers are at enormous risk from escalating losses from...

How Did Catastrophe Models Weather Katrina?

Oct 3 2005 // While it’s too early to tell if the highly touted computer catastrophe models met expectations for Hurricane Katrina, there are indications the models didn’t work as well as some insurers had hoped. Several...

Fitch: Katrina Causes Unprecedented Challenges, Risks for P/C Insurers

Oct 3 2005 // The circumstances surrounding Hurricane Katrina are unprecedented in many ways, reports Fitch Ratings. So much so that the rating agency may need to reassess the core risk profile of the property/casualty insurance...

Creation of a Federal Cat Fund Hits Mainstream

Oct 3 2005 // The devastation left by Hurricane Katrina stirred up familiar talk in the insurance industry and beyond about the need for a federal catastrophe risk program. And less than a month after Katrina, insurance regulators from...

TDI Increases Assistance in East Texas; Expands Help Line Hours

Sep 30 2005 // The Texas Department of Insurance announced it is sending additional insurance specialists to East Texas to help consumers affected by Hurricane Rita. Six assistance centers have already been established around the state,...

PIA Legislative Update: Agents Have Until March to Make Recommendations to Florida’s Hurricane Task Force

Sep 30 2005 // Legislative changes effecting property insurance that took place this year in the Florida Legislature were discussed by Keri Rayborn, Rayborn Consultants, and Ron Villella, PIA’s government affairs director, during a...