Latest Flood Headlines

All the headlines from our Flood Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Parish in Louisiana Getting $5.3M to Elevate 88 Homes

Aug 20 2019 // Louisiana U.S. Rep. Garret Graves says Livingston Parish will receive a $5.3 million federal grant to fund the elevation of 88 homes that were substantially damaged during the 2016 flood. Graves says the money is part of...

Flooded Mississippi River Still a Threat as Hurricane Season Heats Up

Aug 19 2019 // The river that drains much of the flood-soaked United States is still running far higher than normal, menacing New Orleans in multiple ways just as the hurricane season intensifies. For months now, a massive volume of...

States Brace for Long-Term Flood Fight as Damages Mount

Aug 19 2019 // After devastating flooding this year, Iowa put $15 million into a special fund to help local governments recover and guard against future floods. Missouri allotted more money to fight rising waters, including $2 million to...

With Damage Costs Soaring, Midwest States Boost Flood Prevention

Aug 19 2019 // After devastating flooding this year, Iowa put $15 million into a special fund to help local governments recover and guard against future floods. Missouri allotted more money to fight rising waters, including $2 million to...

Olive Branch Residents Still Recovering Two Months After Flood

Aug 16 2019 // Frances Ivonne Brensdal woke up June 7 to find her Olive Branch home flooded after a night of record rainfall, which left her family and others displaced. She didn’t even know it was raining. “My neighbor...

Insured Losses in China from Typhoon Lekima Will Exceed CNY 6 Billion: AIR

Aug 16 2019 // Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimates insured losses in China from Typhoon Lekima will exceed CNY 6 billion. Lekima made landfall in Taizhou, Zhejiang, China, at 2 a.m. on August 10 local time, with...

FEMA Awards $2.7M to Orange County, Texas, for Flood Damage Project

Aug 15 2019 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded more than $2.7 million to Orange County through the Texas Division of Emergency Management to fund a project to acquire and demolish 20 structures impacted by...

Commentary: As Flood Threat Grows, Florida Must Mandate Flood Risk Disclosure

Aug 14 2019 // The climate is changing, and it has become abundantly clear that Florida is going to be badly damaged in the decades ahead. With the state experiencing increasingly devastating effects of severe tropical weather and...

Disaster Declaration Granted to West Virginia for June Floods

Aug 14 2019 // President Donald Trump has granted a disaster declaration request for flooding in portions of West Virginia in late June. Gov. Jim Justice says in a news release five counties can receive federal assistance for public...

FEMA Awards $1.1M Mitigation Grant to Flood Zoned Homes on Georgia Coast

Aug 13 2019 // Twelve homes on the coast of Georgia will receive a federal grant of about $1.1 million to help alleviate the cost of elevating their homes. News outlets report Tybee Island Mayor Jason Buelterman and Rep. Buddy Carter...

Lack of FEMA Levee Approval Would Leave Southern Illinois Village at Risk

Aug 12 2019 // The fate of a Mississippi River levee that’s awaiting a decision on federal accreditation could put a southern Illinois village at risk of destructive flooding, the village president says. If the levee in Prairie du...

Property Loss Estimate for Australia’s Townsville Floods Rises to A$1.22B: PERILS

Aug 12 2019 // The property insurance market loss from the Australia’s Townsville floods, which affected northern Queensland, Australia, between Jan. 26 and Feb. 10, 2019, has risen to A$1.22 billion (US$827.1 million), according...

Hurricane Barry Cost Economy $600M, Insurers $300M: Aon Catastrophe Report

Aug 9 2019 // Total economic losses, largely flood-driven, were expected to exceed US$600 million, while public and private insurers paid out nearly US$300 million, said Aon in its latest edition of its monthly Global Catastrophe Recap...

2 Years After Harvey, Houston Getting Initial Millions for Flood Control

Aug 5 2019 // Houston will receive more than $7 million in grants as initial funding for a pair of flood control projects nearly two years after rain from Hurricane Harvey swamped parts of the city. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Friday...

Northern Arizona Burn Map Reveals Erosion, Flooding Risks

Aug 5 2019 // Burn maps from a northern Arizona fire have revealed a risk for post-fire erosion and flooding in populated communities. The Arizona Daily Sun reports that the U.S. Forest Service published a burn severity map Wednesday...

Louisiana Flood Victims End Lawsuit Against Trump, HUD Over Disaster Aid

Aug 2 2019 // Two Louisiana homeowners who sued the Trump administration over federal policies that stalled grants for victims of a massive 2016 flood have dropped their lawsuit, after the administration recently released new...

Lloyd’s Selects 11 Insurtechs to Support Its Future-at-Lloyd’s Project

Aug 1 2019 // Lloyd’s welcomed 11 new teams of insurtech disruptors to join the re/insurance market’s innovation accelerator. More than 130 applications were received from across the world for the third cohort of the...

North Carolina Residents Hit by 2 Hurricanes Still Waiting on Long-Term Aid

Jul 31 2019 // The heating and air conditioning in Carrie Johnson’s home – damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 – still wasn’t fixed when Hurricane Florence flooded her house last September. Now, her home of over 50 years...

Third Round of Flooding, Cleanup Takes Toll on Iowa Merchants

Jul 30 2019 // A third bout of flooding and cleanup is taking a toll on people who operate some small businesses along Iowa Highway 2 in southwestern Iowa. They heavily rely on north-south traffic from nearby Interstate 29 and on...

Challenges Facing the Florida Insurance Market: A Reinsurer’s Perspective

Jul 30 2019 // Hurricanes Irma and Michael served as a reminder that Florida, more than any other state, is at risk of one of the most intense natural perils, namely hurricanes. The existence of a stable insurance market providing its...