Latest Hurricane Headlines
All the headlines from our Hurricane Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fla. Building Codes, Revamped Since Andrew, Still Being Worked
May 18 2007 // When Category 5 Hurricane Andrew damaged or destroyed more than 125,000 Florida homes and left about 250,000 people homeless in south Miami-Dade County, the destruction was born from a mix of 165 mph winds, outdated...
While Residents, Insurers Fret, Contractors Welcome Storms
May 18 2007 // With the 2007 hurricane season on the horizon, Steve Munnell acknowledges that the state’s roofing contractors are “praying for rain.” The executive director of the Florida Roofing, Sheet Metal and Air...
Many Florida Families Still Struggling as New Hurricane Season Nears
May 18 2007 // Terri Rose was living comfortably with her four children when 2004’s Hurricane Frances ripped a hole in the family’s roof. A few weeks later, Hurricane Jeanne soaked everything. Their home was condemned, then...
RMS Withdraws Five-Year Hurricane Model from Florida
May 18 2007 // Risk Management Solutions has withdrawn a short-term, five-year hurricane forecasting model submitted for approval to Florida officials after being told the model did not meet required standards. Mitch Sattler, RMS vice...
Tougher Fla. Building Codes Still a Work in Progress
May 17 2007 // Flying debris smashed through a window and Hurricane Andrew’s screaming winds pushed inside the home, splintering walls and tearing off the roof. Parents and children huddled under a mattress in a bathtub or closet...
On Eve of Hurricane Season, U.S. Mandates Safety Labels on Generators
May 17 2007 // Nine words could save lives this hurricane season: “Using a generator indoors can kill you in minutes.” That might seem obvious, but it’s not — each year dozens of Americans die because they don’t...
Citizens Fields Questions from Fla. Homeowners, Agents at Forum
May 17 2007 // Irma Kelly is frustrated over the cost of her Citizens Property Insurance coverage, so she came to a policyholder’s forum to give the state-run insurer’s chairman an earful. Kelly, a resident of a Broward...
Expert: Coastal Overdevelopment Will Worsen Fla.’s Insurance Woes
May 15 2007 // Construction of new high-rise developments on vulnerable barrier islands will continue to exacerbate Florida’s property insurance crisis, according to Robert Hartwig, Ph.D., president and chief economist of the...
Insurers Call for Additional Reforms for Florida Consumers
May 15 2007 // A new Florida law enacted during a 2007 January special session provides immediate savings for homeowners by shifting potential payments for hurricane losses from the homeowners receiving the current policy benefits to...
Crist Drops Fla. Hurricane Ad Campaign after Bids Questioned
May 14 2007 // A Florida public service campaign to heighten hurricane awareness has been scrapped by Gov. Charlie Crist just three weeks before the 2007 tropical storm season after two firms that lost out on the lucrative contract cried...
Coastal Texas Officials Question State’s Ability to Help in Hurricane
May 11 2007 // Texas emergency officials are struggling to assure their local counterparts that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan won’t damage the state’s ability to respond to a major hurricane striking the Gulf Coast. Local...
Fla. Recertifies Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology
May 11 2007 // The Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology (FCHLPM) has recertified EQECAT Inc.’s hurricane model for use in Florida according to EQECAT. The EQECAT North Atlantic Hurricane model, a...
La. Commissioner: State Farm to Reopen Katrina and Rita ‘Slab’ Claims
May 11 2007 // Lousiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon announced that State Farm has agreed to reevaluate all of the claims it denied from Louisiana policyholders whose homes or businesses were reduced to their foundations due to...
Fla. Emergency Officials Practice for Hurricane Season
May 10 2007 // Florida emergency preparedness and response officials started a four-day practice exercise Monday to go through possible scenarios they may face this hurricane season. Officials were working at the emergency operations...
Miss. Deals with Simulated Cat 3 Hurricane during Preparation
May 9 2007 // A simulated Category 3 hurricane hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Tuesday, and emergency operations officials said the drill could highlight the strengths – and weakness – in the state’s hurricane...
Fla. University and AIR Work toward Understanding of Hurricane Vulnerabilities
May 8 2007 // AIR Worldwide Corporation is collaborating with the International Hurricane Research Center and the College of Engineering and Computing at Florida International University and will fund the installation of the “AIR...
La. Statewide Building Code on Chopping Block at Capitol
May 8 2007 // A new statewide building code in Louisiana was one of the most tangible responses by lawmakers to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. But it was done quickly, a knee-jerk reaction that many lawmakers say didn’t involve...
Climate Change: The potential insurance costs and what’s being done
May 7 2007 // Estimating the potential costs of future weather related events, linked to climate change, is, at best, an inexact science; there are just too many variables. Nonetheless, a picture is emerging that, whatever happens, the...
Fortified building standards: Gulf Coast market salvation?
May 7 2007 // Concrete houses sprouting up in southern Alabama, Mississippi and elsewhere in the Gulf Coast region are more than just fortified structures that will protect their owners from up to 250 mph winds and 36 foot storm surges...
Figures
May 7 2007 // $100 Million Insured losses from the storm that spawned tornadoes and large hail over portions of the Dallas – Fort Worth area on April 13, have been set at approximately $100 million, the Insurance Council of Texas...
