Citizens Stops Writing New Policies; Tropical Storm Orphelia Moving N.W. Toward Fla.

Citizens Property Insurance Corp., has stopped writing new policies or taking changes on exhisting policies in Florida due to the approach of Tropical Storm Orphelia.

The tropical storm warning for Ophelia was issued at 11 a.m. EDT, for the east coast of Florida, from Titusville, including Merritt Island down to just north of Jupiter.

Usually, most private insurers also will curtail writing new policies in the areas covered by the warning or watch.

Tallahassee-based Citizens, which is the state-run pool for homeowners who can’t find coverage in the private market, will continue with renewals. Citizen’s shutdown will remain in effect until the warnings and watches are lifted.

Orphelia is expected to move north and make landfall on Thursday afternoon. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Florida’s east coast from north of Jupiter, north to Titusville, including Merritt Island, and for Grand Bahama, the Abacos and Bimini.

The tropical depression’s center is located near 26.7 north, 78.5 west, 25 miles northeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island and about 175 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral, Fla. At present it is stationary, but predicted to start moving in a northwest direction tonight.

Sustained winds are now at 30 mph with higher gusts, mainly north of the center. A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area within the next 24 hours.

Rainfall accumulations of 5 to 10 inches with isolated higher amounts of 15 inches can be expected in portions of Florida and the northwestern Bahamas.

The National Hurricane Center issued its latest advisory at 5 p.m. and told residents on Florida’s southeast coast to watch for updates as the storm progressed. The next advisory will be at 11 p.m.

Topics Florida Catastrophe Natural Disasters Windstorm