Hurricane Michael News

Lessons from Hurricane Michael Being Applied to Ian Recovery in SW Florida

Four years before Category 4 Ian wiped out parts of southwest Florida, the state’s Panhandle had its own encounter with an even stronger hurricane, Michael. The Category 5 storm all but destroyed one town, fractured thousands of homes and businesses …

FBI: Firm Chaired by Former Florida House Speaker Billed County for Hurricane Cleanup

A Florida company with a former House speaker as a top executive allegedly charged local government millions of dollars for Hurricane Michael cleanup that it never performed, according to an FBI affidavit that was released last week as part of …

Feds Say Florida Officials Bilked FEMA Out of Hurricane Money

Two former officials of a Florida city are charged with conspiring with two businesses to bilk the federal government out of $5 million in Hurricane Michael cleanup money, the U.S. attorney’s office announced Tuesday. U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe said the …

Hurricane Michael Debris Fueling Wildfire in Florida Panhandle

Nearly two dozen Florida homes have been evacuated because of a 500-acre wildfire that grew rapidly overnight because of downed trees from Hurricane Michael. Authorities say the fire broke out Saturday in the Panhandle about 10 miles east of Panama …

Everest Re Estimates Q4 2018 Catastrophe Losses of $695 Million

Everest Re Group, Ltd. expects to incur in the fourth quarter 2018 catastrophe losses of $695 million, net of reinsurance, reinstatement premiums and taxes. The catastrophe losses were related to the fourth quarter 2018 events of Hurricane Michael which affected …

Insurance Covered $90B of Natural Disaster Losses in 2018, Leaving 60% Protection Gap

The economic costs of last year’s 394 natural catastrophe events came to US$225 billion with insurance covering US$90 billion of the overall total, creating the fourth costliest year on record of insured losses, according to an Aon report titled “Weather, …

Argo Estimates Losses from Q4 Natural Catastrophes, Other Claims to Hit $44M

Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd., the Bermuda-based re/insurer, announced a preliminary pre-tax catastrophe loss estimate of $32 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, primarily related to Hurricane Michael and the California wildfires. Additionally, the company’s fourth quarter 2018 results …

Multiple Smaller Natural Disasters in 2018 Created ‘Unusual’ Insured Loss Picture: Willis

Insured loss estimates from major natural catastrophes in 2018 totaled roughly $71.5 billion, the highest since 2011’s annual market losses of $120 billion, according to Willis Re. However, the insured losses in 2018 are slightly less than half of those …

Swiss Re Estimates Its Q4 Natural Catastrophe Claims to Hit US$1.0B

Swiss Re estimates it will pay claims of approximately $1.0 billion for natural catastrophes booked in the fourth quarter of 2018, with the largest generated from California wildfires and Hurricane Michael. These natural disaster claims will mainly affect its Reinsurance …

Arch Capital Estimates Q4 2018 Catastrophe Losses Could Total $130M

Arch Capital Group Ltd. reported an estimated range of fourth quarter pre-tax losses of $110 million to $130 million from global natural catastrophes, including Hurricane Michael and California wildfires. These estimates are net of reinsurance recoveries and reinstatement premiums, said …