Articles by Michael Kunzelman

First Trial over FEMA Trailer Fumes Set to Begin in New Orleans

Years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita left thousands of families living in government-issued trailers, one of the first trials is set to begin over whether dangerous fumes from the temporary homes sickened storm victims. The lawsuits accuse trailer makers of …

Gulf Coast Can’t Forget Hurricane Camille of 40 Years Ago

Scouring an aerial photograph taken three days after Hurricane Camille crashed ashore on Mississippi’s Gulf coast, Richard Rose points to the spot where his father’s body washed into the chimney of a ruined home. Rose was only 10 when one …

Travelers Insurance Urges Regional Zones, Federal Role for Wind Coverage

One of the nation’s largest insurers has unveiled a plan to shift the authority for regulating rates for hurricane wind coverage from state regulators to an independent federal commission. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and four state insurance commissioners heard Travelers …

20-Year Sentence Sought for Bond Broker in Insurance Scheme

Federal prosecutors in New Orleans are seeking a 20-year prison sentence for a woman convicted of participating in a money laundering scheme with a former Louisiana lawmaker. A jury convicted Gwendolyn Moyo last year of charges she sold millions of …

Louisiana Crash Survivor Sues Helicopter Maker

The lone survivor of a helicopter crash that killed eight people in Louisiana in January is suing the aircraft’s manufacturer and two other companies. The federal lawsuit filed on behalf of Steven Yelton, of Floresville, Texas, and his wife, Kelly, …

Portion of Former Louisiana AG’s Suit Against Insurers Dismissed

A federal judge in New Orleans has dismissed some claims in a lawsuit filed by a former Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti against dozens of insurance companies over payments to policyholders receiving funds from the state’s Road Home homeowner grant …

Construction Worker’s Widow Sues Over Louisiana Bridge Accident

The widow of a construction foreman who died in October after he and nine other workers fell from the bridge they were building filed a lawsuit against the state of Louisiana and two companies involved in the project. The wrongful-death …

Storm Planners Reflect on Strategies for Busy Hurricane Season

In New Orleans, a dire warning to flee emptied the city before Hurricane Gustav in early September. In Houston less than two weeks later, a plea to say in place might have kept evacuation routes from clogging before Hurricane Ike …

Dozens of Mississippi Cottages Condemned after Gustav

In Mississippi, Donnell Landtroop’s state-supplied cottage has mold on the walls and dried mud on the floor — the foul remnants of Hurricane Gustav, the second hurricane in three years to leave her family homeless. The Labor Day storm ruined …

Court Clashes over Katrina Wind Damage Winding Down in Mississippi

It took three years for Mississippi resident, Scott Gordon, to resolve the dispute that Hurricane Katrina spawned with his insurance company. Anything resembling a full recovery from the storm will take much longer. “There are some scars that will probably …