Latest Hurricane Headlines
All the headlines from our Hurricane Topic Page, ordered by recency.
North Carolina Legislature Finalizes $300M Hurricane Relief Spending
Dec 4 2018 // Nearly $300 million in additional state spending to address North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Florence received quick and unanimous approval from the state legislature and the governor. The House voted...
Texas Senate Panel: Feds Paid Most of Harvey $2.7B Recovery Cost so Far
Dec 4 2018 // Hurricane Harvey recovery will end up costing the state as much as $2 billion, according to a report released Nov. 30 by the Texas Senate’s budget-writing panel, although it said costs may fluctuate based on how much...
Alabama Condo Complex Earns IBHS’ First-Ever Hurricane Gold Designation
Dec 3 2018 // Local developers in coastal Alabama that utilized Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s (IBHS) FORTIFIED Commercial construction standards in the design of a coastal condominium complex have earned the...
Researchers: Houston’s Urbanization Partly to Blame for More Frequent and Intense Rain Events
Dec 3 2018 // Studies published earlier this year by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Hurricane Center showing a dramatic increase in the frequency of intense rain events in the Houston area in recent...
Florida Principal Arrested in $16K Hurricane Irma Insurance Fraud Attempt
Nov 29 2018 // An elementary school principal in Jacksonville, Fla., has been arrested in an alleged attempt to commit more than $16,000 in insurance fraud related to Hurricane Irma, according to a statement from Florida CFO Jimmy...
How Taxpayers Subsidize Rebuilding Homes After Flooding… Repeatedly
Nov 28 2018 // Floodwaters rose about 15 inches (40 centimeters) into Danielle Rees’ home in September when Hurricane Florence drenched this tidewater city on the Pamlico River and overwhelmed a local creek and marshland. The first...
Managing Natural Disasters Becomes Priority for Nation’s Governors
Nov 28 2018 // Governors have a wide range of priorities they want to tackle in the coming year, from tax reform to education. Yet it’s a topic that receives less attention on the campaign trail and in their speeches that could...
Florida CFO: Insurers Must Step Up Response to Hurricane Michael Claims
Nov 28 2018 // Citing a “troubling” number of Hurricane Michael-related consumer complaints and claims denials, Florida’s top financial regulator is urging insurers to respond more quickly and adequately to consumers...
Report: Hurricane Harvey Was a Sign of Things to Come, Climate-Wise
Nov 27 2018 // Texas should brace for more — and worse — Hurricane Harveys, according to a major scientific report made public on Nov. 23 by the Trump administration. Based on the research of hundreds of government and academic...
Researchers: Houston Skyscrapers Slowed Hurricane Harvey, Causing More Rain
Nov 21 2018 // Humans helped make recent devastating U.S. hurricanes wetter but in different ways, two new studies find. Hurricane Harvey snagged on the skyscrapers of Houston, causing it to slow and dump more rain than it normally...
Beach Town Developers Now Believe in Stronger Building Codes, Construction
Nov 21 2018 // Developer Jeff Lamkin knew the risks when he paid $250 million for 63 acres of an island off the Texas coast. But he saw only upside in the quaint little beach town of Port Aransas. Over the next 10 years he built Cinnamon...
Florida Picks Up the Pieces from Powerful Hurricane Michael
Nov 20 2018 // This photo shows debris and destruction in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, after Hurricane Michael went through the area on Oct. 10. Mexico Beach, the ground-zero town, was nearly obliterated by the hurricane,....
28 Streamflow Records Broken in Carolinas by Hurricane Florence Floods
Nov 19 2018 // A federal report shows Hurricane Florence broke records in a key flooding measure at more than two-dozen stream gauges in the Carolinas. The U.S. Geological Survey released a report Nov. 13 on streamflow, which measures...
Insurance Industry Kept Promises to Hurricane Victims; Now Tested by Wildfires
Nov 16 2018 // Between the devastating wildfires in California and the destructive forces of Hurricanes Florence and Michael on the East Coast earlier this fall, the property/casualty insurance market has been put to the test this...
AXIS Capital Estimates 4Q Losses from Hurricane Michael
Nov 9 2018 // AXIS Capital Holdings Ltd. announced a preliminary pre-tax loss estimate for Hurricane Michael in the range of $100 million to $120 million, which will affect its fourth quarter financial results. The loss estimate figure...
Tallying Losses from October’s Global Catastrophes
Nov 8 2018 // October was a deadly and costly month due to natural catastrophes, with the the U.S. and Europe being hit particularly hard, according to Aon’s Impact Forecasting. Total U.S. economic losses from October’s...
New Alabama State Park Buildings Utilize IBHS Commercial Resiliency Standards
Nov 8 2018 // The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has utilized construction standards from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s (IBHS) FORTIFIED Commercial in the creation of new...
4 Alabama Counties Declared Federal Disaster from Hurricane Michael
Nov 7 2018 // Four south Alabama counties have been declared a disaster area because of damage from Hurricane Michael last month. The governor’s office says President Donald Trump has issued a disaster declaration that includes...
Georgia Insured Losses from Hurricane Michael Near $700M
Nov 6 2018 // Georgia’s insured losses from Hurricane Michael have climbed to more than $696 million, with insurers reporting approximately 68,000 claims filed as of the end of October, according to a press release from Insurance...
Critics Say Bond Rating Agencies Ignore Municipalities’ Climate Risk
Nov 5 2018 // Last fall, after a trio of deadly hurricanes, ratings companies warned vulnerable coastal cities to get ready for climate change — or face higher borrowing costs on the $3.9 trillion municipal bond market. Climate...
