Latest Flood Headlines
All the headlines from our Flood Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Vermont Already Preparing for the Next Big Storm
Dec 18 2013 // Vermont and federal officials Monday highlighted the state’s ongoing efforts to prepare for what is expected to be increasingly severe weather, most likely floods, in the coming years as the effects of a warming...
FEMA: 17 New Jersey Towns Recognized for Reducing Their Flood Hazard Risk
Dec 18 2013 // Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said 17 New Jersey municipalities are being recognized in two awards ceremonies this week for reducing their flood hazard risk through FEMA’s Community Rating System...
Swiss Re Reports 2013 Disaster Losses at $130 Billion; $44 Billion Insured
Dec 18 2013 // According to preliminary estimates from Swiss Re’s latest sigma report, insured losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in 2013 are estimated to be around $44 billion, down from $81 billion in 2012....
FEMA Grants Helping to Raise Flood-Prone R.I. Homes
Dec 17 2013 // The owners of eight flood-prone properties near Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly, R.I., are using federal grant funds to raise their homes and businesses high enough to minimize any future damage. The Westerly Sun...
Hoboken, N.J., Aims to Become National Model for Flood Mitigation
Dec 16 2013 // The city of Hoboken, New Jersey, was nearly swallowed by the Hudson River during Superstorm Sandy last year. Three of its electrical substations and most of its firehouses flooded, businesses and homes were submerged, and...
North-Central Penn. Officials: Higher Flood Insurance Rates Will Bankrupt Homeowners
Dec 13 2013 // Residents and officials in flood-prone north-central Pennsylvania are warning that a new federal law ending subsidized federal flood insurance rates in certain areas will bankrupt homeowners, drive down property values and...
AIR Estimates Windstorm Xaver Insured Losses: $963 Million to $1.92 Billion
Dec 13 2013 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimates that insured wind losses from Extratropical Cyclone Xaver will range between €700 million [$963 million] and €1.4 billion [$1.926 billion], with the majority of the...
Local Leaders Planning for Climate Effects
Dec 12 2013 // When it comes to climate change, local officials have a message for Washington: Lead or get out of the way. Local governments have long acted as first responders in emergencies and now are working to plan for sea level...
Northern Europe Cleans Up After Extratropical Cyclone Xaver: AIR Report
Dec 11 2013 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has issued a report on the aftermath of Extratropical Cyclone Xaver, which affected large parts of northern Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, Germany, the...
Some Flood Insurance Rates to Rise in Kansas’ Douglas County
Dec 6 2013 // Some property owners in Douglas County, Kansas, could soon pay more for federal insurance. The federal government’s decision to phase out subsidized insurance in special flood hazard areas will increase costs for 168...
Iowa Board Awards Millions for Flood Protection
Dec 6 2013 // The Iowa Flood Mitigation Board has awarded millions of dollars for flood protection projects in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and other Iowa cities. The awards were announced on Dec. 4. The Iowa Legislature created the board to...
FEMA Won’t Require Additional Flood Insurance for U. of Iowa
Dec 6 2013 // The University of Iowa says the Federal Emergency Management Agency will not require the school to purchase additional flood insurance after all. UI vice president of finance and operations Doug True said the news...
Hurricane Strength Storm Xaver Slams UK, Northern Europe: AIR Analysis
Dec 6 2013 // A report from catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide notes that Winter Storm Xaver hit the north of Scotland last night, Thursday the 5th of December, with wind gusts of more than 140 mph (225 km/h), recorded in the...
Flood of Regulations Coming from Obama Administration
Dec 5 2013 // Over the next 12 months, the Obama administration is due to issue regulations governing everything from e-cigarettes to smoke-stack emissions in what experts predict will be a second-term rush to put rules in place before...
Ironshore Personal Lines Unit to Offer Excess Flood Coverage
Dec 4 2013 // Ironshore’s Personal Lines unit is expanding flood insurance coverage for high net worth homeowner clients. The excess flood insurance is an endorsement available on homeowners policies underwritten by Ironshore...
Kansas’ Douglas County to Get Flood Insurance Update
Dec 4 2013 // Commissioners in Douglas County, Kansas, will hear a presentation about the impact of changes taking effect next year in the National Flood Insurance Program. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the changes could affect the...
Aon Benfield’s Impact Forecasting Launches Netherlands Flood Model
Dec 3 2013 // Impact Forecasting, the catastrophe model development center of excellence at Aon Benfield, has announced the launch of the “first probabilistic catastrophe model to understand the financial impact of flood damage in...
Louisiana Joins Lawsuit to Block Flood Insurance Hike
Dec 2 2013 // Louisiana’s Department of Insurance has joined a lawsuit filed by Mississippi against the federal government to try to block rates from increasing Oct. 1 in the National Flood Insurance Program. Commissioner Jim...
Funding Approved for $50M Waterfront Flood-Mitigation Project in NYC
Dec 2 2013 // The federal government has approved funding to start a $50 million flood-mitigation project along the Queens waterfront to better protect Howard Beach against rising sea levels and storm surges similar to those that caused...
University of Maryland Project Aims to Improve Storm Predictions
Dec 2 2013 // Scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Horn Point Laboratory have a new project in the works that aims to better predict the intensity of storm surges on the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay...
