Latest Hurricane Headlines

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

Assessing Effects of Government Shutdown on Wildfires, Workforce, Research

Jan 28 2019 // The government may be reopening, but the consequences of the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history are likely to linger for national parks, forests, the federal workforce and cutting-edge scientific research. Some may...

Trump Expands Federal Reimbursement for Florida’s Hurricane Michael Cleanup

Jan 28 2019 // Florida will get potentially hundreds of million dollars for Hurricane Michael recovery after President Donald Trump agreed to expand the number of days the federal government will reimburse state and local governments for...

Texas Senator Proposes Statewide Flood Control Plan

Jan 25 2019 // Before the next Hurricane Harvey strikes, and thousands of homes are damaged or destroyed, some Texas lawmakers want to make sure communities statewide are better prepared for future floods. On Jan. 22, state Sen. Charles...

Hurricane Florence Demonstrates Perils of Being Underinsured/Uninsured, Says RMS

Jan 24 2019 // Hurricane Florence caused extensive freshwater flood damage in the Carolinas and parts of Virginia in September—and about 70 percent of those flood losses will be uninsured, according to RMS. “The insured loss for...

Private Flood Insurers Not Yet Ready to Fill Massive U.S. Protection Gap

Jan 24 2019 // The flood insurance protection gap in the United States is massive, but the take-up rate of private flood insurance continues to be low. The relative inability of private insurers to penetrate the flood insurance market...

Insurance Industry Use of Drone, Aerial Imagery Soared After 2018 Southeast Disasters

Jan 24 2019 // The importance of drones and aerial imagery rose to a new level in the wake of 2018 natural catastrophes as insurers made them an integral part of their disaster recovery procedures, particularly following the hurricanes...

Texas Sunset Board: Legislature Needs to Decide Nature of Windstorm Insurer

Jan 23 2019 // To be the insurer of last resort for wind and hail insurance along the Texas coast, without state support and reliant on premium dollars and debt financing for funding, or to be a true insurance company that derives...

Travelers Grew Q4 Profit Despite California Wildfire, Hurricane Michael Losses

Jan 22 2019 // Travelers Cos. reported that despite catastrophe losses from the California wildfires and Hurricane Michael, it boosted its profit in the fourth quarter of 2018 thanks to growth in premiums and investment income. Net...

California Wildfires, Hurricane Michael Top List of 2018’s Costliest Natural Disasters: Munich Re

Jan 21 2019 // The costliest natural catastrophes occurred in the United States in 2018 with one of California’s devastating wildfires and Hurricane Michael topping the list, according to Munich Re. A report from Munich Re on last...

Industry Trends to Exploit for 2019

Jan 21 2019 // It is time to take out our crystal ball and plan for 2019 and how our insurance industry will be impacted by the trends around us. Those that consider these changes, and plan ahead, will usually be in a better position...

For New Governors, Natural Disasters Will Be Necessary Priority

Jan 21 2019 // Even Governors Skeptical of Climate Change Can’t Avoid Need to Plan for Future Storms, Fires Governors have a range of priorities they want to tackle in the coming year, from tax reform to education. Yet, one topic...

Unlicensed Adjuster Arrested for Stealing $14K from Homeowners After Irma

Jan 18 2019 // An unlicensed insurance adjuster has been arrested over unlicensed public adjusting activities and the filing of false and fraudulent liens on individuals’ homes following Hurricane Irma, according to a statement...

Swiss Re Estimates Its Q4 Natural Catastrophe Claims to Hit US$1.0B

Jan 15 2019 // Swiss Re estimates it will pay claims of approximately $1.0 billion for natural catastrophes booked in the fourth quarter of 2018, with the largest generated from California wildfires and Hurricane Michael. These natural...

Florida Courts Bogged Down by New Gun Law, Hurricane Suits

Jan 8 2019 // Florida’s new gun law is keeping courts busy, and the state Supreme Court also says lawsuits over hurricane disputes could be on the rise. The Florida Supreme Court said Dec. 28 that 100 petitions a month have been...

California Wildfires, Hurricane Michael Top List of 2018’s Costliest Natural Disasters: Munich Re

Jan 8 2019 // The costliest natural catastrophes occurred in the United States in 2018 with one of California’s devastating wildfires and Hurricane Michael topping the list, according to Munich Re. A report from Munich Re on last...

3 Reasons Recovery from Hurricane Florence is Different from Hurricane Michael

Jan 7 2019 // Lessons from Past Storms and Economic Changes Suggest Rebuilding Efforts After Florence Will Be Arduous As the saying goes – location is everything. Following the two largest U.S. hurricanes this year, Hurricane...

Southern California City Asking Residents for Suggestions on Battling Climate Change

Jan 3 2019 // The city of Long Beach, Calif. is soliciting help from its citizens to come up with a plan to deal with climate change. The coastal city of roughly half-a-million, which was an early adopter of the ban on plastic bags and...

Timber Farms in Florida, Georgia Suffering After Hurricane Michael

Jan 2 2019 // Strewn in gnarled piles from Florida’s Gulf Coast up through South Georgia, the livelihood of timber farmers is on the ground. And, after the ravaging buzz saw of Hurricane Michael in early October, it will be a...

Insurance Journal South Central’s Top Stories for 2018: Medical Marijuana, Weather Woes

Dec 31 2018 // At first glance it might seem that 2018 was a “slow news” year in the South Central states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. After all, the region escaped the devastation of a major hurricane, and...

Florida Regulator Calls on Insurers to Handle Hurricane Michael Claims

Dec 31 2018 // Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier is urging Florida insurers to close the more than 42,000 Hurricane Michael claims that remain open nearly three months after the storm. In a Dec. 19 memorandum to all property...