Latest Flood Headlines
All the headlines from our Flood Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mississippi Coast Property Owners Told to Buy Flood Insurance Now to Save
Aug 20 2013 // With the eighth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina near, homeowners along the Mississippi Coast also have to brace for possible rate increases of 20 percent for flood insurance and 3.2 percent for wind pool insurance. The...
Stilt Houses in Greenwich, Conn., Foreshadow Impact of New Flood Maps
Aug 19 2013 // In the coastal areas of Greenwich, Connecticut, the latest housing craze requires hydraulic jacks, pylons and stilts. One home towers over its neighbors like a cruise ship. Others look like expensive tree...
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...
Flood Official: Oil Companies ‘Trashed the Hotel Room’
Aug 15 2013 // A Louisiana flood control official is likening the oil and gas industry in coastal Louisiana to rock stars who bring a lot of money to the area but, in his words, “trashed the hotel room.” Stephen Estopinal was...
New Illinois Law Aims to Help Prevent Flooding by ‘Going Green’
Aug 15 2013 // Gov. Pat Quinn has signed legislation to help Illinois communities prevent flooding by “going green.” Quinn signed the bill in the Chicago suburb of Orland Park, one of the communities hit hard by flooding this...
Flooded Colorado Businesses Struggle Without Insurance
Aug 15 2013 // More than 20 businesses hit by flooding in Manitou Springs, Colo. are struggling because of a lack of insurance. City officials say some of the businesses that suffered losses in Friday’s devastating flood did not...
Flood of Legal Questions Now Roils Sandy Survivors
Aug 14 2013 // First they needed blankets and generators. But before long, many of Superstorm Sandy’s bedraggled survivors also needed a lawyer. Thousands of people with damaged homes and businesses have sought help with legal...
Human Activity Muddies Causes of Texas Floods
Aug 14 2013 // Periodic flooding in Texas — one the most flood-prone states in the nation — cannot be firmly linked to climate change due to numerous dams and other man-made structures introduced over the years, according to a...
Tropical Cyclone Utor Slams Philippines, Heads towards China: AIR Worldwide
Aug 13 2013 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide reports that “Typhoon Utor slammed into the northern Philippine island of Luzon on Monday, August 12, at around 3:00 pm local time (7:00 UTC) with 10-minute sustained winds of...
Judge Dismisses Kmart Flood Damage Claim Against Mississippi City
Aug 12 2013 // A federal judge Friday dismissed Kmart’s claims against the city of Corinth over flood damage to one of the chain’s stores in 2010. U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson ruled that the city is entitled to...
Tennessee’s Heavy Rains Tested Lessons from 2010 Flood
Aug 12 2013 // Unusually heavy summer rainfalls in Tennessee have given the agencies involved in flood control and emergency management a chance to show that they have learned to cooperate after the disastrous missteps of...
Flood-Prone New Jersey Town Looks to Raise Entire Downtown
Aug 10 2013 // Along the New Jersey Bayshore, people often say they live on either the “wet” or the “dry” side of Route 36. The distinction was particularly apt during Superstorm Sandy, which brought flooding...
Georgia Commissioner Offers Advice in Wake of Recent Flash Flooding
Aug 7 2013 // With confirmed flash flooding in northern Georgia from torrential rain, Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens is reminding homeowners that policies for mobile or manufactured homes may include coverage for flood damage,...
S.C. Researchers Unveil New Hurricane Model; Program to Offer Landfall Probability
Aug 7 2013 // As hurricane season approaches its peak, researchers at South Carolina’s Coastal Carolina University unveiled a new hurricane model program named after a massive Category 4 storm that smashed into South Carolina a...
Hannover Re Q2 Net Rises 29% on Investment Income
Aug 7 2013 // Hannover Re, the world’s fourth biggest reinsurer, said second-quarter profit rose 29 percent, beating analysts’ estimates, helped by higher investment income. Net income advanced to €186.3 million ($247.9...
Floods Impact Munich Re’s Q2 Net Profit; Still on Track for FY $4 Billion
Aug 6 2013 // Despite a rough second quarter – consolidated profit of €543 million [$720 million], compared to €812 million [$1.077 billion] in Q2, 2012, Munich Re said it is “well on track to achieve its 2013 profit...
Illinois Governor Announces $190 Million In Flood Help
Aug 2 2013 // Gov. Pat Quinn says $190 million in federal grants and loans will be awarded to help Illinois residents and businesses in 35 counties recover from April floods. Federal aid to the designated disaster areas includes $143...
Toronto Dominion Bank Warns of Insurance Losses from Weather Claims
Jul 31 2013 // Toronto-Dominion Bank, Canada’s second-largest lender, said it will take a third-quarter charge after tax of C$418 million (US$406 million) due to recent severe weather in Alberta and Ontario and to boost its...
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...
Arizona Flash Flood Carries Away Tour Bus, None Hurt
Jul 30 2013 // Flash flood waters swept a tour bus with 33 people aboard hundreds of yards down a wash in northwestern Arizona and the vehicle flipped on its side, but no one was injured, officials said. The Las Vegas-bound bus was...
