Latest Flood Headlines
All the headlines from our Flood Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Vermont Officials Assess Spring Flood Damage
Apr 18 2019 // Vermont state and local officials are assessing damage from flooding caused by heavy rains and snowmelt that led to road closures, some evacuations and a rescue from a flooded parking lot. Some roads remained closed...
Experts Give Texas Mixed Reviews on Disaster Preparedness
Apr 17 2019 // More than a year and a half after Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas, killing dozens, the state is still waiting on billions in federal recovery dollars. In the meantime, Texas lawmakers are looking to prepare the state...
Disastrous 1969 Spring Flood Recalled by Minot, North Dakota, Residents
Apr 11 2019 // A geyser of water surging through a gopher hole threatened to burst a natural dike in the city. A man who sought much needed sleep following endless hours of sandbagging was abruptly tossed into the air. A group of about...
Missouri University Scientists Using AI to Design Flood Evacuation Plans
Apr 10 2019 // Transportation agencies and first responders may soon get help from artificial intelligence to determine the best evacuation routes during floods such as those affecting portions of Missouri and the Midwest. Researchers at...
Global Floods Cause $8B in Economic Losses During March: Aon Catastrophe Report
Apr 10 2019 // Damage from flooding in March 2019 is estimated at US$8 billion from events across the globe, according to Aon’s “Global Catastrophe Recap – March 2019.” “The major catastrophe events of March...
AM Best: Most Homes in Midwest States Uninsured for Flooding
Apr 9 2019 // In a commentary on the recent Midwest flooding, AM Best said the states hit hardest by these floods — such as Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota — generally have National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) insured...
Missouri Proposal Would Limit Local Tax Breaks for Flood Zone Development
Apr 7 2019 // With floodwaters again inundating parts of Missouri, the state Senate has backed legislation that could limit local tax breaks offered for new developments in flood plains. A bill given initial approval would prohibit new...
Midwest States Want More Control Over Missouri River After Floods
Apr 5 2019 // Three Midwestern Republican governors of states ravaged by recent flooding are demanding more authority over management of the Missouri River system. Following a meeting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Iowa Gov. Kim...
New Texas Homeowners Policy From The Woodlands Insurance Includes Flood Coverage
Apr 4 2019 // The Woodlands Insurance Co. (TWICO), located in The Woodlands, Texas, has launched a Texas homeowners policy that will include flood insurance to all qualifying households. With a tiered offering of Twico Prime, Twico...
Officials Open Mississippi Floodgate to Handle River Flooding
Apr 4 2019 // Officials have finally pulled the plug to allow an unusual flood trapped inside a levee system in Mississippi to drain, but it could be weeks before waters fully recede. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened a floodgate...
California Dam’s Spillway Gets First Use Since 2017 Flooding Crisis
Apr 3 2019 // Officials at the nation’s tallest dam unleashed water down a rebuilt spillway Tuesday for the first time since it crumbled two years ago and drove hundreds of thousands of California residents from their homes over...
Texas Insurance Commissioner to Industry: Watch Your Language!
Apr 3 2019 // Note: This is the second article in a three-part series resulting from a conversation with Texas Insurance Commissioner Kent Sullivan. Texas’ chief insurance regulator wants the insurance industry to clean up its...
Louisiana Pledges $80M for Bayou Chene Floodgate
Apr 3 2019 // Residents in six southeastern Louisiana parishes will get some relief from backwater flooding thanks to a new floodgate. Gov. John Bel Edwards announced this week that the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration...
Omaha, Nebraska, Officials Reviewing Flood-Control Measures
Apr 2 2019 // Officials in the Omaha, Nebraska, area are reevaluating the city’s flood-control measures, shortly after heavy rains caused dozens of counties and cities in the state to declare a state of emergency. A flash flood...
Government Relief Bypasses Farmers Who Lost Stored Crops in Floods
Apr 2 2019 // The Black Hawk military helicopter flew over Iowa, giving a senior U.S. agriculture official and U.S. senator an eyeful of the flood damage below, where yellow corn from ruptured metal silos spilled out into the muddy...
Cabrillo Coastal Launches Flood Endorsement for South Carolina Homeowners
Apr 2 2019 // Cabrillo Coastal General Insurance Agency has launched a flood endorsement for new or existing Safe Harbor Homeowners policies in South Carolina. The coverage, according to Cabrillo, was built from a different rating...
1 Million Acres of Midwest Farmlands Flooded as Corn Planting Deadlines Approach
Apr 1 2019 // At least 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) of U.S. farmland were flooded after the “bomb cyclone” storm left wide swaths of nine major grain producing states under water this month, satellite data analyzed by...
New Flood Insurance Rule from Bank Regulators a Win for Consumers, Agents and Brokers
Apr 1 2019 // If Implemented Wisely, Flood-Exposed Properties Could Benefit from Expanded Market While lawmakers continue their struggle to agree on the long-term reauthorization of the financially burdensome National Flood Insurance...
How Drones and Aerial Imagery Use Rose to New Heights Post 2018 Catastrophes
Apr 1 2019 // The importance of drones and aerial imagery rose to a new level in the wake of 2018 natural catastrophes as insurers made them an integral part of their disaster recovery procedures, particularly following the hurricanes...
A Mix of Flood Insurance Reforms
Apr 1 2019 // Conservation, CarFax-Like Disclosure, Means-Test for Rates Up for Discussion The federal flood insurance program has a knack for inspiring ideas from reformers across the political spectrum on how to improve government. If...
