Latest Hurricane Headlines
All the headlines from our Hurricane Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Obama Extends Federal Gulf Coast Rebuilding Office
Feb 23 2009 // President Barack Obama has extended the federal office of Gulf Coast rebuilding, calling it a “first step of a sustained commitment by my administration to rebuild now, stronger than ever.” Obama also announced...
Galveston Group Approves Ike Housing Aid Plan
Feb 19 2009 // More than half of the federal Hurricane Ike recovery funds in an $814 million plan backed by the Houston-Galveston Area Council would go for housing if the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development agrees, officials...
Texas Lawmakers Outline Hurricane Mitigation Recommendations
Feb 13 2009 // The state of Texas should require certain businesses like gas stations and nursing homes to have backup power generators to avoid the massive disruptions caused by Hurricane Ike, according to recommendations released by a...
Ike Vendors Still Waiting for Texas to Pay Hurricane Response Bills
Feb 5 2009 // The state of Texas has accrued $134 million in unpaid bills from emergency response to Hurricane Ike – and vendors want their money. Jack Colley, the state’s director of emergency management, told the state...
Texas Governor Calls for Reform of Texas Wind Pool Funding
Feb 4 2009 // Three of the five emergency items that Texas Gov. Rick Perry has outlined for the 2009 legislative session relate to hurricane recovery, including legislation to reform the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) and...
Recession, Credit Crisis Stall Louisiana’s Hurricane Recovery Bonds
Feb 2 2009 // The U.S. recession and credit crisis have stalled a financing program created to help Louisiana recover from 2005’s devastating hurricanes, the southern state’s secretary for economic development told...
Hiscox Comments on Renewals, Investments, Currency, Hurricanes
Jan 27 2009 // Bermuda-based Hiscox Ltd. has issued a summary of the January renewals, its expected investment returns and the effect of currency fluctuations, as well as its hurricane loss estimates. Hiscox said it has “seen good...
Travelers Reports Solid Q4, Year-End Underwriting; ‘Well Positioned’ for 2009
Jan 27 2009 // The Travelers Companies, Inc. reported net income of $801 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2008, compared to $1.063 billion, for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2007. Operating income in the current quarter was $939...
State Farm Pulling Out of Florida Property Insurance Market
Jan 27 2009 // Florida is losing its largest property insurance company. State Farm Florida Insurance announced today it is beginning the process that will allow it to non-renew policies and halt all sales of homeowners or other...
Lloyd’s Web Site Summarizes Current Opinions on Climate Change
Jan 23 2009 // “The string of natural catastrophes that wreaked havoc in 2008, costing the global economy $225 billion and leaving insurers with their second costliest year in history, graphically highlights the increasing risks to...
Validus Ups Ike Losses to $235 Million
Jan 22 2009 // Bermuda-based Validus Holdings announced that it has increased its estimate of the net adverse effect from Hurricane Ike by approximately $70.1 million to a current total estimate of approximately $235.1 million. Validus...
Texas Led Nation in Catastrophic Losses in 2008
Jan 21 2009 // A combination of hurricanes and severe thunderstorms pushed claims to exceed $10 billion for Texas property and casualty insurers in 2008. The losses in Texas exceeded all of the industry’s catastrophic losses for...
Mississippi Grants $1 Million for Wind Mitigation Study
Jan 16 2009 // The Mississippi Insurance Department’s wind mitigation program has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Mississippi Development Authority and Governor Haley Barbour’s office. Insurance Commissioner Mike...
S&P: Florida Hurricane Fund, Citizens, Guaranty Fund Ratings to Negative
Jan 15 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services revised the outlook to negative from stable on Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (AA-), Citizens Property Insurance Corp. (A+), and Florida Insurance Guaranty Association...
Work on Hurricane Protection System in Louisiana Begins
Jan 15 2009 // Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced that the state and parish are breaking ground on a three-mile, $6.9 million stretch of the Morganza to-the-Gulf Hurricane Protection System in Chauvin. This project is designed to...
Windstorm Fund a Leading Issue With Lawmakers at Texas Capitol
Jan 12 2009 // Hurricane Ike was the big storm Texas officials feared would hit the coast – and the state’s way of paying for it afterward. When lawmakers convene Jan. 13, they’ll face the financial devastation left by...
Group Targets Hurricane Products That Don’t Meet Florida Code
Jan 11 2009 // A new consumer group in Florida is promising to track down products that are touted as hurricane protection but fail to meet state safety standards. Bill Feeley, president of the International Hurricane Protection...
Insurance Price-Fixing Lawsuit Dismissed in Louisiana
Jan 11 2009 // A federal judge in New Orleans in late December 2008 dismissed an antitrust lawsuit Louisiana’s former attorney general filed against some of the nation’s largest insurance companies after hurricanes Katrina...
Reinsurance Renewals Are Firming, Concludes Aon Benfield Report
Jan 9 2009 // Global reinsurance prices firmed for Jan. 1, 2009 renewals and are expected to remain firm for the April through July 2009 renewals, according to the January 2009 “Reinsurance Market Outlook” issued by...
Galveston Officials Paint Bleak Picture of Ike Recovery for Lawmakers
Jan 9 2009 // Galveston officials pleaded with state lawmakers Jan. 7 for help in rescuing their island city from the dire financial straits it finds itself in nearly four months after the devastation of Hurricane...
