Latest Flood Headlines

All the headlines from our Flood Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Wading Through Coverage Differences in Expanding Private Flood Insurance

Apr 24 2019 // It has been a long-held insurance axiom that flood is not considered an insurable peril due to its potentially catastrophic nature. Here is what the report, “Affordability of National Flood Insurance Program...

Study: $76.4M in Texas Home Values Erased by Flooding Tied to Sea Level Rise

Apr 23 2019 // New research shows that increased tidal flooding caused by sea level rise has eroded $76.4 million in relative property values along the Texas coast between 2005 and 2017.That’s according to a peer-reviewed housing...

FEMA Transfers More Flood Risk with $300 Million Cat Bond

Apr 23 2019 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has again turned to private reinsurance markets to help strengthen the financial framework of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).Last week FEMA entered into a...

Municipalities Try to Reassure Investors on Climate Risks in Bond Offerings

Apr 23 2019 // When Miami Beach borrowed $162 million from Wall Street this week, it wanted investors to know rising seas and extreme weather are a real risk to the city and that it’s doing something about it.An increasing number...

Warmth, Snowmelt, Rain Raise Flood Concerns in New England

Apr 22 2019 // A combination of warm weather, rain and melting snow was feeding floodwaters in low-lying areas of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine on Saturday.No injuries were reported, but in Vermont the Stowe swift water rescue team...

Fight Against Floods Enlists Supercomputers, Drones, Sonar

Apr 22 2019 // An arsenal of new technology is being put to the test fighting floods this year as rivers inundate towns and farm fields across the central United States. Drones, supercomputers and sonar that scans deep under water are...

U.S. Senate Hearing Focuses on Missouri River Flood Prevention

Apr 18 2019 // The federal agency that manages dams along the Missouri River received stern criticism from several U.S. senators Wednesday during a hearing held in Iowa to examine the massive spring flooding this year that caused more...

Vermont Officials Assess Spring Flood Damage

Apr 18 2019 // Vermont state and local officials are assessing damage from flooding caused by heavy rains and snowmelt that led to road closures, some evacuations and a rescue from a flooded parking lot.Some roads remained closed...

Experts Give Texas Mixed Reviews on Disaster Preparedness

Apr 17 2019 // More than a year and a half after Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas, killing dozens, the state is still waiting on billions in federal recovery dollars. In the meantime, Texas lawmakers are looking to prepare the state...

Disastrous 1969 Spring Flood Recalled by Minot, North Dakota, Residents

Apr 11 2019 // A geyser of water surging through a gopher hole threatened to burst a natural dike in the city. A man who sought much needed sleep following endless hours of sandbagging was abruptly tossed into the air. A group of about...

Missouri University Scientists Using AI to Design Flood Evacuation Plans

Apr 10 2019 // Transportation agencies and first responders may soon get help from artificial intelligence to determine the best evacuation routes during floods such as those affecting portions of Missouri and the Midwest.Researchers at...

Global Floods Cause $8B in Economic Losses During March: Aon Catastrophe Report

Apr 10 2019 // Damage from flooding in March 2019 is estimated at US$8 billion from events across the globe, according to Aon’s “Global Catastrophe Recap – March 2019.”“The major catastrophe events of March...

AM Best: Most Homes in Midwest States Uninsured for Flooding

Apr 9 2019 // In a commentary on the recent Midwest flooding, AM Best said the states hit hardest by these floods — such as Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota — generally have National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) insured...

Missouri Proposal Would Limit Local Tax Breaks for Flood Zone Development

Apr 7 2019 // With floodwaters again inundating parts of Missouri, the state Senate has backed legislation that could limit local tax breaks offered for new developments in flood plains.A bill given initial approval would prohibit new...

Midwest States Want More Control Over Missouri River After Floods

Apr 5 2019 // Three Midwestern Republican governors of states ravaged by recent flooding are demanding more authority over management of the Missouri River system.Following a meeting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Iowa Gov. Kim...

New Texas Homeowners Policy From The Woodlands Insurance Includes Flood Coverage

Apr 4 2019 // The Woodlands Insurance Co. (TWICO), located in The Woodlands, Texas, has launched a Texas homeowners policy that will include flood insurance to all qualifying households.With a tiered offering of Twico Prime, Twico Prime...

Officials Open Mississippi Floodgate to Handle River Flooding

Apr 4 2019 // Officials have finally pulled the plug to allow an unusual flood trapped inside a levee system in Mississippi to drain, but it could be weeks before waters fully recede.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened a floodgate...

California Dam’s Spillway Gets First Use Since 2017 Flooding Crisis

Apr 3 2019 // Officials at the nation’s tallest dam unleashed water down a rebuilt spillway Tuesday for the first time since it crumbled two years ago and drove hundreds of thousands of California residents from their homes over...

Texas Insurance Commissioner to Industry: Watch Your Language!

Apr 3 2019 // Note: This is the second article in a three-part series resulting from a conversation with Texas Insurance Commissioner Kent Sullivan.Texas’ chief insurance regulator wants the insurance industry to clean up its...

Louisiana Pledges $80M for Bayou Chene Floodgate

Apr 3 2019 // Residents in six southeastern Louisiana parishes will get some relief from backwater flooding thanks to a new floodgate.Gov. John Bel Edwards announced this week that the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration...