Latest Windstorm Headlines
All the headlines from our Windstorm Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Orders Georgia Tornado-Damaged Hotel Demolished
Nov 29 2011 // A city judge in the northwest Georgia town of Ringgold has ordered a tornado-ravaged hotel to be torn down. Judge Gene Lowery said in a hearing last week that the Baymont Inn & Suites is an eyesore and must be...
80% of Claims from May Tornado in Minneapolis Have Been Resolved
Nov 28 2011 // The Minnesota Department of Commerce has reported that insurance companies have resolved about 80 percent of the claims generated after a tornado swept through north Minneapolis in May. The agency said that policyholders...
Perfect Storm of Conditions Fueled Big Reno Fire
Nov 22 2011 // One of the worst fires in Nevada’s history was nearly a perfect storm of unfavorable conditions and unfortunate circumstances, and both the state’s governor and top insurance regulator praised insurance...
Tornado Recovery Efforts Ongoing in Oklahoma’s McClain County
Nov 22 2011 // An amputee needed a new wheelchair ramp to get into his tornado-damaged home. Some of his neighbors have moved into trailers, or remained in their damaged houses where they sleep on screened-in porches. Others have had no...
Post Tornado, Joplin, Missouri, Rebuilding Permits Setting Records
Nov 22 2011 // Joplin, Mo., is building at a record pace after the town was devastated by a tornado in May, and city officials said they expect the activity to continue into next year. The city has issued an average of $35.4 million in...
Officials Say Western New York Tornadoes Cost $760K
Nov 22 2011 // The Chautauqua County Office of Emergency Services says tornadoes that touched down in three western New York communities a week ago caused $760,300 in property damage. The tornadoes touched down in the village of Fredonia...
Connecticut Utility CEO Out Amid Post-Storm Criticism
Nov 19 2011 // The president and chief operating officer of Connecticut Light & Power has resigned as the company continues to come under fire for its handling of power outages after last month’s snowstorm. Northeast Utilities...
6 Killed, Dozens Injured in Southeast Storms
Nov 18 2011 // At least six people have been killed and dozens more injured as a storm system that spawned several possible tornadoes moved across the Southeast. Suspected tornadoes were reported Wednesday in Louisiana, Mississippi,...
Alabama Man Pleads Guilty in Tornado Fraud Case
Nov 17 2011 // A west Alabama man has pleaded guilty to fraudulently claiming disaster benefits following the April 27 tornadoes in Alabama. Officials say 47-year-old Robert Lee Spires entered his plea before U.S. District Judge L. Scott...
Tornado Damages Buildings in Southern Indiana Town
Nov 16 2011 // A tornado struck a southern Indiana town on Nov. 14, tearing the roof off the police and fire headquarters and leaving debris piled on the courthouse square. The National Weather Service said the nighttime storm damaged...
Connecticut Hearing to Look at Insurers’ Storm Response
Nov 14 2011 // State lawmakers want to learn more about how the insurance industry responded to the two recent storms to hit Connecticut — the remnants of Hurricane Irene and the October nor’easter. The legislature’s...
Powerful Storm Damages Roofs in Nome, Alaska
Nov 10 2011 // High winds and surging waves pummeled Alaska’s western coast Wednesday, churning the Bering Sea and forcing residents of Nome and isolated native villages to seek higher ground inland. “We do have some reports...
Texas Lawmaker Uses Jewish Slur in Windstorm Hearing, Then Apologizes
Nov 7 2011 // A Texas state lawmaker on Nov. 3 used a Jewish slur during a legislative committee hearing while telling officials not to delay or cheat people out of legitimate property insurance claims. Rep. Larry Taylor, of...
Accident Fund Will Cover Comp Claim for Joplin Tornado Survivor
Nov 7 2011 // Michigan-based Accident Fund Insurance Co. of America says it will honor the workers’ compensation claims for a man injured during the tornado outbreak in Joplin, Mo., earlier this year. Mark Lindquist, a social...
Accident Fund Will Cover Comp Claim for Joplin Tornado Survivor
Oct 25 2011 // Michigan-based Accident Fund Insurance Company of America now says it will honor the workers’ compensation claims for a man injured during the tornado outbreak in Joplin, Mo., earlier this year. Mark Lindquist, a...
More Dust Storms Expected as Texas Drought Lingers
Oct 24 2011 // The towering wall of billowing red dust roaring across the blue West Texas sky on Oct. 17 took Monroe Debusk back more than eight decades to the Dust Bowl years when he was growing up on his family’s cotton farm. The...
FEMA Warns N.Y. Residents to Avoid Scams in Wake of Tropical Storm Lee
Oct 17 2011 // New York residents are urged to be alert for potential fraud during recovery and rebuilding efforts following Tropical Storm Lee, officials with the New York State Office of Emergency Management (NYSEMO) and the Federal...
New Billing, Commission System at Texas Windstorm Pool Starts Jan. 1
Oct 13 2011 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) will be implementing a new billing and commission system beginning Jan. 1, 2012. In a bulletin to insurance agents, TWIA said under the new system it will assume the...
Tornado Damages Homes, Post Office in San Antonio
Oct 11 2011 // A small tornado touched down in San Antonio early on Oct. 9, damaging several homes and a post office. The overnight storm dumped more than 3 inches of rain on the city and left thousands without power, the San Antonio...
Tornadoes Offer Lessons in Disaster Response and Planning
Oct 5 2011 // In a year marked by a high number of severe and devastating natural catastrophes, one thing is evident — while rare, some situations are not survivable. For instance, if people or structures happen to be located directly...
