Florida hurricanes News

Florida’s Hurricane Insurance Fund Replenished and Ready After 9 Quiet Years

Florida’s nine-year streak of avoiding hurricanes is helping the state reach a historic milestone: for the first time ever, the state-created fund designed to help pay out claims after storms has enough cash and assets on hand to pay off …

Hurricane Season and Florida’s Insurance System: Living on Borrowed Time?

Mother Nature has been kind to Florida’s coastline lately with a record run of seven years without a hurricane making landfall, allowing property insurers time to re-stock their depleted coffers. As a result, before the new six-month hurricane season got …

Hurricane Center Working to Improve Storm Surge Forecasts After Wet 2012

Last year’s hurricane season drove home some big lessons, according to the nation’s chief hurricane forecaster: Storm surge and flooding are dangerous and difficult to predict, and sometimes it’s even harder to communicate that sense of urgency to the public. …

Tropical Storm Isaac Strengthening; Floridians, Citrus Growers Begin to Worry

New York orange juice futures jumped more than 5 percent on Wednesday after U.S. forecasters warned Tropical Storm Isaac would strengthen into a hurricane and could hit the south coast of citrus-rich Florida by Monday. The National Hurricane Center said …

Hurricane Region Residents Urged to Have Tech Backups

People living in hurricane prone areas should have a backup tech plan in case a storm hits, because Internet and cell phone connections are likely to go out, FEMA director Craig Fugate said recently during the first day of the …

Forecasters Examine Hurricane Andrew’s Legacy

The ability to predict how bad a storm will be has eluded forecasters since Hurricane Andrew made a catastrophic landfall in South Florida two decades ago and it will remain a challenge for the next chief at the National Hurricane …

Hurricane Andrew Remembered at Storm Conference

Florida’s emergency managers are preparing for the upcoming tropical storm season by reexamining the lessons learned from Hurricane Andrew. This August will mark the 20th anniversary of Andrew’s catastrophic landfall in South Florida. The Category 5 hurricane remains one of …