Latest Coastal Headlines
All the headlines from our Coastal Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Study Looks at Options to Depopulate Texas Coastal Wind Insurer
Feb 10 2014 // Loss exposure for Texas’ wind and hail insurer of last resort along the coast increased by around 319 percent between 2005 and 2012 – from $23.26 billion to $74.17 billion, and its policy count grew by...
Massachusetts Bill Seeks to Create ‘Coastal Buyback Program’
Feb 4 2014 // A bill filed in Massachusetts Legislature last week would create a “coastal buyback program” allowing the state to purchase land that is repeatedly threatened by damaging tides or is located in flood plain...
Hearing: Which Court Should Hear Louisiana Coastal Lawsuit ?
Dec 20 2013 // A legal tug-of-war continues in a Louisiana state levee board’s lawsuit against 97 oil, gas and pipeline companies over the erosion of wetlands. The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East wants U.S....
10 Ideas Chosen for Coastal Shields in New York, New Jersey
Nov 19 2013 // Here’s one way to stop the floodwaters the next time a monster like Superstorm Sandy comes ashore in New York City: Build an 8-mile-long system of dikes around the low-lying parts of Manhattan. A proposal for just...
2 Louisiana Parishes File Suits Against Oil Companies
Nov 14 2013 // Two southeast Louisiana parishes filed multiple lawsuits against numerous oil and gas companies, claiming they failed to restore damage their operations did to coastal areas while releasing toxic pollutants, in violation...
1-Year Anniversary of Sandy Offers Lessons Learned for Coastal Residents
Oct 29 2013 // One year ago, Superstorm Sandy struck a dozen states in the Northeast and became the third costliest storm in U.S. history, after hurricanes Katrina and Andrew, according to the Insurance Information Institute...
Alabama Coastal Counties Get FEMA Home Mitigation Grants
Oct 21 2013 // Alabama has received a federal grant of nearly $636,000 to help homeowners in the state’s two coastal counties retrofit their homes against wind damage. State officials and officials from Mobile and Baldwin County...
Louisiana Researchers Studying Coastal Land Values
Oct 9 2013 // It’s no surprise that some coastal wetlands are more valuable than others, but the question several researchers at LSU are trying to answer is how much more valuable. Walter Keithly, associate professor and Richard...
Home Insurer Narragansett Bay Expands Its Coastal Capacity in Mass., R.I.
Oct 7 2013 // Pawtucket, R.I.-based home insurer Narragansett Bay Insurance Company (NBIC) said it is increasing its capacity for coastal homeowners insurance through select agency partners. The company said it is expanding its coastal...
Federal Flood, States’ Wind Plans Need Further Reforms
Sep 9 2013 // A recent report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, a watchdog group, calls for further reforms to flood and wind insurance programs to discourage risky development and help reduce risk and taxpayer costs. The report,...
Rising Sea Levels Ranked as Greatest Climate Change Threat: Guy Carpenter
Sep 4 2013 // Guy Carpenter & Company has an analysis of the evolving risk landscape spurred by global warming, which stresses that “climate change, global warming and the resulting landscape shift for risk management is a...
Louisiana Flood Board Votes to Continue Oil, Gas Lawsuit
Aug 20 2013 // A New Orleans-area flood control board has refused to back down from its lawsuit seeking damages from nearly 100 oil and gas companies over coastal erosion allegedly caused by dredging and digging for canals and pipelines....
Report: More Reforms Needed for Flood, Wind Insurance Programs
Aug 15 2013 // A new report this week from the Union of Concerned Scientists, a watchdog group, warns that sea level rise and worsening storm surge are increasing both the risks of flooding in coastal communities and the potential for...
Alabama Coastal Residents Bracing for Major Flood Insurance Increases
Jul 30 2013 // Flood maps aren’t due out for Alabama until next December, but the specter of rising flood insurance premiums is undeniable. Congress, seeking to undo the damage done to the National Flood Insurance Program after...
Coastal Lawmakers Seek Delays in Flood Insurance Changes
Jul 22 2013 // Just a year after Congress approved changes in the oft-criticized federal flood insurance program, protests from homeowners facing higher premiums have coastal lawmakers pressing for delays to preserve below-cost rates for...
Coastal Lawmakers Seek Delays in Flood Insurance Changes, Rate Hikes
Jul 8 2013 // Just a year after Congress imposed significant changes in the government’s oft-criticized flood insurance program, howls of protest from homeowners facing higher premiums have coastal lawmakers pressing for delays...
Homeowners Struggle with Rising Insurance Costs
Jun 17 2013 // When Stan Virden moved into his 2,400-square-foot house overlooking a rock-lined canal in 1996, he paid less than $1,000 a year for homeowners insurance. Now, as he seeks to move to Atlanta to be near family, Virden says...
Insured Property Values in Coastal States Top $10 Trillion; Florida Has Most at Risk; Miami Ranks 2nd Among Metros
Jun 17 2013 // In separate reports AIR Worldwide and CoreLogic estimated insured property values in coastal areas of the United States reaching into the trillions of dollars. CoreLogic, focusing on residential properties exposed to storm...
Coastal Homeowners Upset with Insurers, Regulators Over Surge in Insurance Costs
Jun 4 2013 // When Stan Virden moved into his 2,400-square-foot house overlooking a rock-lined canal in 1996, he paid less than $1,000 a year for homeowners insurance. Now, as he seeks to move to Atlanta to be near family, Virden says...
East, Gulf Coast Insured Properties Top $10 Trillion: AIR
Jun 3 2013 // The estimated insured value of residential and commercial properties in just the coastal counties of the U.S. East and Gulf Coast states now exceeds $10 trillion. The estimated value of these properties in the coastal...
