Figures

50% – 70%

Reliable estimates reveal that between 50 to 70 percent of homeowners do not have enough insurance to rebuild their homes in the event it is completely destroyed, insurance industry trade group Southwestern Insurance Information Service (SIIS) says. This was dramatically pointed out following a series of hurricanes in Florida and wildfires in Arizona and California when people found there were not enough insurance dollars to replace what was destroyed, said Jerry Johns, president of SIIS. He said a home should be insured for the amount it would cost to replace it and that amount should not be confused with the tax appraisal.

From 2003 to 2006 in Texas, exposure to environmental heat was a factor in 12 work-related deaths and 1,060 nonfatal illnesses that required days away from work, the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) said in a reminder to employers to keep their employees safe. Dangers range from sun-damaged skin to fatal conditions, the DWC said. Twenty-five percent of the fatalities and 30 percent of the nonfatal illnesses occurred in the construction and oil and gas occupations.

In Desha County, Ark., about 3,000 gallons of off-road diesel have been reported stolen in six major thefts. The fuel was valued at about $12,600. Farmers and police say rising fuel costs have led thieves to target off-road diesel tanks kept in fields throughout south Arkansas, the Associated Press reported. Off-road diesel, which is exempt from some federal and state taxes, can be used by city and county road crews, construction companies and timber haulers. The thefts aren’t limited to farmer fields. George Bozeman, owner of Bozeman’s Service Station in Lake Village, said someone pumped nearly 1,250 gallons of regular unleaded gas from his underground tank. The fuel was valued at about $4,800.

2.7

A magnitude 2.7 earthquake jolted Mississippi County, Ark., early on July 5, the AP reported. The temblor struck about one mile southeast of the small city of Dell along Arkansas 18. According to the U.S. Geological Survey the quake happened just before 2 a.m. and had a depth of about 10 kilometers. The New Madrid fault runs from southern Illinois to northeastern Arkansas, and produces hundreds of small quakes a year.

Topics Arkansas