Latest Hurricane Headlines

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

Miss. Hurricane Victims Warned: Beware of Contractor Scams

Jan 12 2006 // Hurricane Katrina victims in Mississippi have been warned to beware of scam artists and disreputable contractors and to check contractors out closely before hiring them to do repairs, according to Robert Latham, director...

AIA: Paper on Insurance Claims Handling is Reckless

Jan 12 2006 // A paper issued Thursday by Americans for Insurance Reform (AIR) is “untrue, irresponsible and reckless,” according to the American Insurance Association (AIA).“Tens of thousands of insurance company...

Allstate Limits Homeowners’ Business in N.Y. Coastal Areas

Jan 12 2006 // Allstate, New York State’s biggest writer of homeowners insurance, is pulling back from writing new business in New York metropolitan coastal areas in order to limit its exposure to future storm losses.The insurer...

U.S. Rep. Taylor Joins Lawsuit Against Mississippi Insurer

Jan 11 2006 // U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., has joined the thousands of Mississippians suing State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., challenging the insurance company’s refusal to cover property losses resulting from Hurricane...

Allstate Announces Rate Hikes Likely in Disaster Prone States

Jan 11 2006 // Allstate Corp. announced this week that customers living in areas hard-hit by hurricanes and other natural disasters, including North Carolina, are likely to see their premiums rise this year as a result of the...

Countrywide Insurance Group’s DeLaney Named Corporate Trailblazer

Jan 11 2006 // California-based Countrywide Insurance Group reported that chief operations officer Doreen DeLaney was named a Corporate Trailblazer by Minorities in Business Magazine. She was honored at the publication’s 10th...

Mass. Fair Plan Rate Case Drags On with Parties Far Apart

Jan 9 2006 // Hearings to decide on rates for the homeowners insurance residual market in Massachusetts have been going on since November and are likely to continue for several more months, according to officials.The three major parties...

Wills Re Reviews 2005; Analyzes January Renewals

Jan 9 2006 // Willis Re, the reinsurance unit of the Willis Group, has issued a comprehensive report that reviews the current state of the reinsurance market in light of the past 18 months.While emphasizing that the Gulf hurricanes...

I.I.I. Says Record Mississippi Homeowners’ Claim Payments from 2005 Hurricanes

Jan 9 2006 // The record total of homeowners insurance claims payments resulting from the 2005 hurricanes in Mississippi is reportedly enough to wipe out all homeowners premiums paid in the state during the past 17 years.The magnitude...

Miss. Receiving $6.6M to Boost ‘Safe Room’ Program

Jan 9 2006 // In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and amidst the ongoing recovery effort, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and federal officials reported the funding of a $6.6 million grant program to help protect against...

La. DOL: Fewer Hurricane-Related Unemployment Claims Being Paid

Jan 6 2006 // The number of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita victims continuing to receive unemployment benefits has dropped by over 100,000 since benefit claims peaked in early November, the Louisiana Department of Labor reported.Some...

$565M Hurricane Prep Plan Budgets for Fla. Housing, Rental Recovery

Jan 6 2006 // Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has unveiled plans to prepare Florida for hurricanes by initiating housing programs to rebuild from past storms and survive future ones. The governor proposed an $808 million legislative agenda which...

Fla.’s Generator, Chainsaw Reimbursement Program Could Be Axed

Jan 6 2006 // Florida officials are scrutinizing a state program which reimburses residents for last-minute purchases of generators, chain saws and other hurricane-related purchases and considering eliminating it, because according to...

FEMA Says Condo Owners Can Apply for Hurricane Wilma Assistance

Jan 5 2006 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency in Orlando, Fla. has reversed its position and is encouraging condominium associations needing financial assistance to repair roofs and other property destroyed or damaged by...

Miss. Legislative Sessions Begin, PCI Pushes for Stronger Building Codes

Jan 5 2006 // Enacting and enforcing a strong statewide building code could save billions of dollars in damages from hurricanes and should be among the top priorities of Mississippi lawmakers meeting in Jackson during the 2006...

I.I.I.: Claims in Louisiana Equal to 25 Years of State’s Homeowners Premiums

Jan 5 2006 // The record total of homeowners insurance claims payments resulting from the 2005 hurricanes in Louisiana is enough to wipe out all homeowners premiums paid in the state during the past 25 years, as well as every dollar of...

Ala., Miss., La. Black Lawmakers Mull Hurricane Recovery Policy

Jan 4 2006 // Black lawmakers from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama say the three states should work together – rather than against each other – on issues such as hurricane recovery.“We can all empathize with each...

Wisconsin Insurance Rates Likely Not Impacted by Hurricane Katrina

Jan 3 2006 // This year, businesses and consumers will help insurers pay for last year’s estimated $57.6 billion in storm-related losses such as Hurricane Katrina through higher property and casualty insurance policy rates, the...

Agents, Brokers, Carriers: Insurance Outlook Good for 2006

Jan 2 2006 // With the insurance industry surviving a year filled with catastrophe losses and the challenge of reauthorizing the terrorism reinsurance backstop legislation, the prospects still seem bright for 2006 according to agents,...

Boat Buyers Warned to Avoid Hurricane-Damaged Vessels

Jan 2 2006 // Inexperienced boat buyers are being warned by marine and insurance officials on the Gulf Coast to avoid purchasing hurricane-damaged vessels at auction.Robert Hartwig, the chief economist at the Insurance Information...