Insurance Blog

Beware the Ida of November — Hurricane Ida, that is. Though it is forecast to weaken further before making U.S. landfall, Hurricane Ida is currently a Category One hurricane and moving across the Gulf of Mexico near 16 mph. A hurricane warning remains in effect for the northern Gulf coast from Pascagoula, Mississippi eastward to Indian Pass, Florida and according to the National Hurricane Center, Ida is expected to make landfall along the northern Gulf coast overnight. Under the current track, that looks likely to be somewhere near Alabama before it takes a turn to the northeast toward Georgia and Florida. The timing of Ida – some 22 or so days before the official end of the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season is pause for thought. NOAA data show that the Atlantic basin has a very peaked season from August through October, with 78 percent of tropical storm days, 87 percent […]

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Just a year since Hurricane Ike – the third most costly hurricane in U.S. history – hit coastal communities in Texas with a powerful storm surge, a new study by the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) says government minimum flood elevation requirements for Gulf Coast properties vulnerable to storm surge are woefully inadequate. Its report on property damage caused by Hurricane Ike finds that many properties are not built high enough to withstand storm surges. The IBHS study questions the current basis for elevating properties along the Gulf Coast and urges the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to provide greater incentives for building well above the minimum elevations now in place. As well as providing flood insurance, the NFIP establishes base flood elevation (BFE) levels for properties. All but a handful of properties located closest to the coast on the Bolivar Peninsula, Texas and even built to the […]

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A disorganized Tropical Storm Erika – the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season – is a little weaker with maximum sustained winds of near 45 miles per hour as it approaches the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean, according to the latest report from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Early today the center of Erika was located about 160 miles east-southeast of the Leeward Islands. Since its formation Tuesday, the storm has been moving generally westward near 7 miles per hour, but it is expected to turn west-northwest at a slightly faster forward speed over the next day or so. Because the 2009 Atlantic season has featured just one hurricane so far, the temptation is to say danger over. But let’s not speak too soon. Hurricane season activity generally peaks in early to mid-September. Our fellow bloggers over at the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) Disaster Safety Blog […]

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Hurricane Bill has strengthened to a Category 4 storm out over the Atlantic. National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasters say the storm is expected to strengthen some more during the next 24 hours and that interests in the Leeward Islands and Bermuda should monitor the progress of Bill. Current tracks put Bill passing between Bermuda and the U.S. mainland this weekend and then moving up towards Canada. Early this morning, the center of Bill was located about 460 miles east of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. To put it in context, a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale denotes a storm with sustained winds of 131-155 miles per hour. If a storm of this strength makes landfall extremely dangerous winds causing devastating damage are expected. A storm of this strength would cause extensive damage to properties and windborne debris could injure or kill. Most trees will be snapped or […]

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After a slow start to the Atlantic hurricane season, three named storms, including the first hurricane of the 2009 season are now in play. Hurricane Bill with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph was located about 1160 miles east of the Lesser Antilles early this morning. National Hurricane Center forecasters say Bill is moving quickly toward the west-northwest at 22 mph and that strengthening is forecast in the next day or so. Bill could become a major hurricane by Wednesday. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Claudette (now a tropical depression) became the first storm to make U.S. landfall on the Florida Panhandle early this morning, though it was not expected to cause significant flooding or wind damage. Tropical Depression Ana was also moving through the northeastern Caribbean though forecasters said it was likely to dissipate later today. Check out I.I.I. hurricane facts and stats. Check out I.I.I. information on flood insurance.

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As Hawaii prepares for the approach of Hurricane Felicia, the sixth named storm of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season (Note: Eastern Pacific hurricanes rarely hit the U.S.), forecasters this week downgraded their forecasts for Atlantic hurricane season activity. Not that this is a guarantee of quiet times ahead. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned the public not to let its guard down, even as it changed its outlook to an increased probability of a below-normal season and an expectation of fewer named storms and hurricanes. NOAA forecasters say there is now a 70 percent chance of seven to 11 named storms, of which three to six could become hurricanes, including one to two major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher). Meanwhile, Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology Project team has also downgraded its forecast and said the probability of a major hurricane making landfall along the U.S. coastline this year […]

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The East Coast of the United States, and especially the Middle Atlantic states, remains overdue for a major (Category 3 or stronger) hurricane strike, according to the author of a book on the topic. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Hurricane Camille, the deadliest storm in Virginia’s history, and despite the absence of major storms in recent years, the Middle Atlantic region can only beat the odds for so long says Rick Schwartz, author of the book Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States. “Hurricane history suggests that the Mid-Atlantic’s seeming immunity will change as soon as 2009. Hurricane Alley shifts. A modest drift to the east of the Gulf Coast activity would likely send hurricanes storming up the Eastern seaboard.” Hurricane Isabel was the last Category 2 hurricane to make landfall along the U.S. East Coast north of Florida, while the last Category 3 was Hurricane Fran in 1996. […]

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