Declarations

Reauthorization Needed

“Congress needs to pass a long-term extension because homeowners living in flood prone regions of the country don’t have anywhere to turn should another major flood occur during this Congressional recess.”

—Blain Rethmeier, spokesman for the American Insurance Association. The U.S. Congress headed for the Memorial Day recess without reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program, which was scheduled to lapse at 12:01 a.m., June 1, the first day of the hurricane season. It was the fourth time in the past year the NFIP was allowed to lapse because Congress has not voted to reauthorize it. According to the AIA, the House of Representatives was expected to strip the flood insurance provision from a larger bill dealing with unemployment benefits, Medicare payments to doctors and tax breaks that has been stalled by partisan fighting. The plan was to then conduct votes on extensions for the NFIP and other programs prior to adjourning for the Memorial Day recess. However, according to the AIA, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said that the Senate would not consider the legislation to extend the insurance and other programs until the week of June 7.

‘A Hell of a Year’

“The numbers are going to go up quite high. This looks like a hell of a year.”

—William Gray, the hurricane forecast pioneer who founded Colorado State University’s storm research team, says the threat of an above-average 2010 Atlantic hurricane season heightened during May. Gray said CSU would ramp up its predictions for the 2010 season in a report due out in early June, raising the prospect that the vulnerable U.S. Gulf Coast could see a repeat of the 2005 season when a record 28 storms formed. Nearly 4,000 people were killed and estimated $130 billion in total damages were recorded. The list of hurricanes in 2005 included Katrina, which devastated New Orleans, Rita which plowed into southern Louisiana, and Wilma, the most intense storm recorded in the Atlantic basin, with peak winds of 185 miles per hour. (Reuters)

BP’s Nemesis

“They hate my guts, but other than that, we’re doing fine.”

—Texas lawyer Brent Coon, who spearheaded Texas civil litigation against British Petroleum in the aftermath of the 2005 explosion at the company’s Texas City refinery that killed 15 workers and injured at least 180 more, says he’s BP’s nemesis in the Texas courts – and they know it. Coon is representing a survivor of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that exploded and sank last month while wrapping up work on a BP well, and he says fishermen and others affected by the spill are knocking at his door.(Reuters)

Topics Texas Flood Hurricane