Hurricane Season News

First System Forms Before Atlantic Hurricane Season Officially Opens

The U.S. National Hurricane Center started tracking the first low pressure system of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season late Sunday, reminding energy and commodities traders of the coming storm season, which officially starts June 1 and ends Nov. 30. The …

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Urges Flood, Hurricane Preparedness

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon kicked off his summer storm tour to raise awareness for hurricane and flood preparedness by urging consumers to protect themselves and their property against Louisiana’s most frequent and unpredictable natural disasters. Experts are predicting an …

Tropical Storm Risk Forecasts Active 2010 Hurricane Season

Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) provides “real-time mapping and prediction of tropical cyclone wind fields worldwide.” The firm is co-sponsored by Aon Benfield, with RSA and Crawford & Company. It has just released a “pre-season outlook report to coincide with the …

Forecasters Expect Below Average Hurricane Season for Central Pacific

Weather forecasters said this week that a below-average total of two to three hurricanes are likely to pass through Central Pacific waters this year as ocean surface temperatures cool. But only one hurricane needs to hit land to cause damage, …

Chartis Expands Hurricane Services to Cape Cod

Chartis has expanded access of the advanced disaster preparedness and post-hurricane resources of its Private Client Group’s Hurricane Protection Unit to homeowners in the Massachusetts counties of Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket. Private Client Group’s Hurricane Protection Unit assists policyholders with …

Lloyd’s CEO Calls for ‘Underwriting Discipline’ In Face of a ‘Tough Year’

Lloyd’s CEO Richard Ward issued a warning to insurance chiefs to prepare for a tough year ahead with the fall-out from large scale catastrophes, such as the Chilean earthquake and Transocean oil spill, likely to be felt for months to …

Key Facts, Common Myths About Protecting Homes from Hurricanes

With weather forecasters calling for a worse-than-average 2010 Atlantic basin hurricane season, the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) is advising property owners on the most effective ways to protect their homes and businesses from hurricane damage. IBHS is …

Coming Hurricane Season Could Complicate Gulf Oil Spill Disaster

BP’s oil spill could make for one of the highest-stakes U.S. Gulf hurricane seasons on record. Storms may scuttle clean-up efforts, force containment vessels to retreat, or propel spilled crude and tar balls over vast expanses of sea and beach, …

Mississippi Gets New Property Insurer: Coastal American

A newly-formed Mississippi company with backing from a Florida insurer and local private investors including six independent agencies will begin writing homeowners policies on the coast in Mississippi. Gulfport-based Coastal American Insurance Co. says it will give coastal Mississippians a …

Property Insurers Watching Ominous Hurricane Forecasts

After significant catastrophe losses in first quarter 2010, U.S. property/casualty insurers and global reinsurers are hoping their balance sheets don’t face further financial risks, even as conditions appear ripe for the upcoming hurricane season to be potentially as active as …