Hurricane Michael 2018 News

Florida Panhandle Facing Uphill Battle in Recovery One Year after Michael

A year after Hurricane Michael, the Florida county hardest hit by the Category 5 storm is still in crisis: Thousands in Bay County are homeless, medical care and housing are at a premium, domestic violence has become a problem and …

Hurricane Michael: One Year Later, Federal Aid for Recovery Totals Nearly $2B

Since Hurricane Michael made landfall Oct. 10, 2018, federal assistance for recovery in the 18 affected counties is nearly $1.9 billion, including FEMA grants, National Flood Insurance Program payments and U.S. Small Business Administration loans, according to a statement from …

Florida Regulator Calls on Insurers to Handle Hurricane Michael Claims

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 and casualty insurers authorized to …

Insurance Journal Southeast’s Top Stories for 2018: Fraud, Hurricanes, Data Security Law

It was a busy year in the Southeast with two major hurricanes that wreaked havoc on the region, an escalating insurance crisis in Florida, and a new industry-specific cybersecurity law in South Carolina that takes effect Jan. 1, 2019. Here …

Florida Insurance Agents Improvise to Stay Connected During Hurricane Michael Recovery

The page has finally turned on the tumultuous 2018 hurricane season, but for the agents who live and work in the Florida Panhandle the story isn’t over – personally or professionally. “We all still feel like we’re in hurricane mode …

Florida CFO: Insurers Must Step Up Response to Hurricane Michael Claims

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 recovering from the major storm that devastated the Florida Panhandle in October. Florida …

Florida County Hit Hard by Michael Takes Out $50M Bond for Recovery

A county on Florida’s Panhandle has voted to take out a $50 million bond to help recover from Hurricane Michael. The News-Herald reports that Bay County Commission voted Nov. 20 to use the money to cover debris removal, stormwater system …

Florida Picks Up the Pieces from Powerful Hurricane Michael

It has been just over a month since Hurricane Michael slammed the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds reaching just shy of Category 5 status. The devastation from the storm that killed at least 35 people …

Florida Insured Losses from Hurricane Michael Top $2B, And Growing

Total estimated insured losses from Hurricane Michael have reached more than $2.1 billion, according to the most recent data from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. The current number of claims from Hurricane Michael, a Category 4 storm that hit …

A Drive Through the Panhandle After Michael

You know that Hurricane Michael came through the Florida panhandle as a powerful Category 4 storm. In fact, when it made landfall, it was just 2 mph from being considered a Category 5 storm. It is the most powerful hurricane …