The Staggering Consequences Of Florida Hit-And-Run Crashes

According to the number-crunchers at State Farm Insurance, the average American driver has a 1 in 116 chance of plowing into some kind of large wilderness creature every time they venture out in the car, especially in the months of October, November and December. “Claims after collisions with an animal range from small dents to totaled vehicles and injured…

Oct. 16– When Baltimore officials refused to pay the hackers that had locked them out of key parts of their network in a May ransomware, the resultant price tag was some $18 million in recovery costs and lost revenue. The city will spend a combined amount of $835,103 on the insurance: Chubb will provide $10 million in coverage, with a price tag of $500,103, while the…

Hurricane Dorian was no different when it hammered North Carolina’s barrier islands at the start of September. Rob Young, a geology professor at Western Carolina University and director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, is ringing the alarm on coastal development. “I fear we have reached some sort of threshold here on Cape Lookout that has…

Ron DeSantis on Thursday made his first use of a controversial economic-development program by saying money will go to a pair of roads tied to workforce housing in Bay County. Marking the one-year anniversary of Category 5 Hurricane Michael slamming into the Panhandle, DeSantis said his first dip into the state’s Job Growth Grant Fund will be for $2.86…

PG&E., whose faulty power lines have caused dozens of fires in drought-plagued Northern California in recent years, insisted the latest power shutoff, which began shortly after midnight Wednesday, was an act of last resort. Utility officials said it was necessary to protect the state from a repeat of last November’s Camp Fire, which killed 85 people and…

MILWAUKEE – (Oct. 10, 2019) – Zywave, a leading insurance tech provider, today released the results from its highly anticipated…

Oct. 9– One year after Category 5 Hurricane Michael barreled over the Florida Panhandle and into Georgia, Mexico Beach is urgently working to bring in more visitors, thousands of Panama City families are still “couch surfing,” a prison with critically needed jobs remains shuttered in Marianna and tarps still cover hundreds of homes in south Georgia.

It’s a new practice for PG&E but not for one of its utility counterparts– San Diego Gas& Electric. On Tuesday night, SDG&E notified customers that lines in areas including Fallbrook, Julian, Valley Center and Rancho Santa Fe may be shut down as the region braces for the first serious bout of Santa Ana winds this fire season. While SDG&E has estimated about 30,000 of…

Statewide, nearly 4,000 claims were submitted through Sept. 16, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Of those, 908– or 23 percent– came from Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. Dorian stayed about 100 miles offshore as it moved north up the Florida coast, sending wind gusts up to 41 mph into South Florida.

Oct. 8– PANAMA CITY– City leaders approved long-term rebuilding and economic development plans Tuesday on the cusp of Hurricane Michael’s one year anniversary. The Panama City Commission approved the plans during its regular meeting on Tuesday. “It’s important to streamline the process so you don’t have to be a big corporate investor to invest downtown,” said…

Oct. 8– When Hurricane Sandy’s floodwaters ravaged the first floor of Frank Cattie’s Ocean City, N.J., home, he assessed the damage, filed a flood insurance claim, and braced for the financial impact. Cattie and his wife, Susan, who live in Jenkintown, bought a condo in Ocean City in 2000, then traded up for a nearly 100- year-old duplex a block from the bay in 2003.

Composite Rate for Personal Lines Insurance Rises to Plus 4.5% Homeowners rates continue to increase across US The composite rate…

Across the northeast swath of South Carolina, the answer is still unfolding. In the small Marion County town of Nichols, about 8 miles west of the North Carolina border, a skeleton crew of town staff face an uphill battle trying to keep the hamlet together. About 50 miles away, in the Horry County neighborhood of Rosewood, the shock caused by the water is more subtle.

New York City has gotten busy bolstering itself against future “super storms” like 2012′ s Sandy. Developing resilient infrastructure is another way that city planners are hoping to mitigate future flooding issues, like at the recently opened Hunter’s Point South Park along the East River in Queens. One especially climate-resilient feature of this park is a…

Next month, Acuña’s home, now in the 500- year floodplain, could be one of thousands in Austin to be redesignated as in the 100- year floodplain, based on new rainfall data released last year that show major storms are more common in Texas than previously believed. The data, known as Atlas 14, revealed that parts of Austin are seeing as much as three inches more rain…

FISHKILL, N.Y.- October 2, 2019-. Lead Marvels recently launched PropertyCasualtyAgent.com, an online resource center targeting approximately 475,000 active property& casualty insurance agents. Michael Palacios, President of Lead Marvels, says,“ We are pleased to provide a new tool for agents across the country to grow their business and learn best practices–…

Sep. 30– More review is planned before any flood map changes are imposed along the Wilkes-Barre/ Hanover and Plymouth stretches of the Wyoming Valley Levee, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. Although FEMA plans to release preliminary flood maps for all Luzerne County communities along the Susquehanna early next year, these maps…

Winston-Salem and Forsyth County homeowners will face a 3.5% increase in their insurance rate as part of a settlement approved Friday by state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey. The rate, which goes into effect May 1, is significantly less than the 20% hike sought by the N.C. Rate Bureau in December. Commissioner Mike Causey also approved an overall 4.3%…

Consumer Watchdog issued the following statement by Executive Director Carmen Balber:. In response Carmen Balber, Executive Director of Consumer Watchdog, a member of the Insure Our Future campaign, issued the following statement:. “The U.S. insurance industry can and must do better.

The planet is in hot water— literally— and that will have dire consequences for humanity, warns a new United Nations report on the state of the world’ s oceans and ice. And the total biomass of animals in the sea could drop by as much as 15%, according to the sobering assessment by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “The oceans and ice are in trouble, so we’ re…

The California Department of Insurance issued the following news release:. The Department of Insurance has released data showing wide socioeconomic disparities in auto insurance group discounts offered to millions of California drivers. “This disturbing data confirms what we have heard for years, that auto group discounts do not apply equally across…

–Travel insurance is meant to protect travelers from financial distress, not cause it. In 2019, the overall average cost for a travel insurance policy purchased on squaremouth.com is $249. Total Trip Cost Travelers have the choice to insure all, some, or none of their prepaid and nonrefundable trip costs for Trip Cancellation coverage.

–Chubb announced that Louis Hobson has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Flood Insurance for its North America operations. In this new role, Mr. Hobson will work in conjunction with Chubb’s personal and commercial lines of business, and lead efforts centered on the development and implementation of strategies to further broaden the delivery of…

Sep. 24– Dorian Steeber jokes about wanting to change his address “from Bowden Place to Bowden Lake.” Steeber, who has two houses along Manard Bayou, can joke about it now. Steeber said Federal Emergency Management Agency helped a little with the house.

Sep. 23– The Memorial Day tornado outbreak forced people to find new homes and start the rebuilding process, but state law changes could make reducing their tax burdens a little easier. Rick Perales, R- Beavercreek, has worked with Greene County Auditor David Graham on the language to amend the state law. “After the Memorial Day experience there was a lot of hurry up…

For example, $492,542 was paid to resolve flood claims in 2013 vs. “Homeowners should factor in climate risks when purchasing a home,” recommends Les Masterson, managing editor of Insure.com. Les Masterson is available to discuss weather-related home insurance claims; plese let me know if you would like to arrange a call or email interview with Les.

As people across the coastal United States prepare for peak hurricane season, the state of the insurance backstop protecting almost half of coastal Texas homeowners from wind damage is still in question. Mark Hanna, spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas, said TWIA’s main fund for paying out windstorm damage claims essentially was wiped after Tropical…

The sum is below the $20 billion originally requested by insurers to cover losses but a boost from the $8.5 billion PG&E offered up just four days ago. PG&E outlined a plan Monday to establish a trust capped at $8.4 billion to compensate tens of thousands of people and businesses with losses from 19 different fires. “PG&E focuses on taking care of hedge funds and…

Sep. 13– CRESTVIEW– The family of a Crestview girl who was brutally attacked by a pit bull two years ago has settled a pair of lawsuits in connection with the attack. Paige Woody, the girls’ mother who was also injured in the attack, confirmed that lawsuits filed against the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society and animal control officer Kevin Schoeneman in August 2018…

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release:. Be aware that it is illegal to require full or partial payment before disaster-remediation work in Texas. It is also best to get multiple estimates, avoid out-of-town businesses and never trust someone claiming to be a ” FEMA- certified”…

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release:. Depending on their level of coverage, flood insurance policy holders may receive up to $250,000 for home damage and up to $100,000 for contents– far more than FEMA’s assistance for individuals and households after a presidentially-declared…

After multiple storms swept through Florida in 2004 and 2005, Florida Power& Light spent billions hardening its system to withstand winds up to 145 mph. >>Related: FPL chief predicts “significant destruction” if Dorian hits Florida. “Whatever the building code is in the state of Florida– and we have the best building code in the country– it was not built for Hurricane…

BURLINGTON, Vt., Sept. 11, 2019/ PRNewswire/– According to a study just released by DealerPolicy, 83% of car buyers want to complete everything related to their car purchase at one time within the dealership, including their purchase of auto insurance. “Traditionally, dealers have seen insurance as a problem, but insurance is now a new income opportunity for dealers,”…

Duane Sands, the health minister of the Bahamas, told reporters Sunday. “Some places it’s like nothing happened,” Mark Green, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, told The Washington Post after an aerial tour. Dorian, then a Category 5 storm bearing sustained winds of 185 miles per hour and gusts even stronger, stalled over the northern…

Sep. 10– BRUNSWICK COUNTY– Nearly a year after Hurricane Florence slammed ashore at Wrightsville Beach and proceeded to stall over Southeastern North Carolina, the big lake at Boiling Spring Lakes remains a city landmark in name only. In Wilmington, apartment complexes remain unoccupied as repairs continue. And across the region, state and local officials are…

As the U.S. Southeast braces for the impact of Hurricane Dorian, it is urgent that Congress get serious about reforming the National Flood Insurance Program, according to the R Street Institute. Created by Congress in 1968, the NFIP has been the primary source of insurance coverage for flooding over the past 50 years. It is essential Congress move a reform…

Nationwide Mutual Insurance issued the following news release:. Each year, Nationwide, the nation’s first and largest provider of pet health insurance in the U.S., celebrates the most clever, creative and quirky pet names across the country. “The results from our Wacky Pet Names competition illustrate the thought and creativity pet owners put into naming their…

As the height of the Atlantic hurricane season approaches, it’s time to make sure you’re ready. Even in the U.S.’ s most vulnerable coastal states, residents and businesses underestimate their risk, have insufficient insurance coverage, and operate without an evacuation plan. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and…

Aug. 22– Louisiana Insurance Commissioner James Donelon issued a cease and desist order against State Farm in a disagreement over hurricane deductibles before Hurricane Barry. The cease and desist order applies to any policyholder of State Farm who is facing the same situation and disallows the company to collect the larger deductible.

–Last year, more than half of U.S. residents did not use all of their vacation days, equating to 768 million unused days, according to research from the U.S. Travel Association. “Many travelers are unaware that travel insurance can offer protection if your employer or work situation prohibits you from taking a pre-planned trip,” says Squaremouth spokeswoman Jenna…

Verisk, a data analytics provider, issued the following news release:. There are 62 million residential locations in the United States that are at moderate to extreme flood risk, according to a Verisk analysis released today. Verisk is a leading data analytics provider.

Aug. 20– After two disastrous fire seasons, California officials have been besieged by homeowners in fire-prone areas complaining that their insurance premiums are skyrocketing or their plans are suddenly being dropped. In areas affected by the 2015 and 2017 fires, homeowners fared even worse: Non-renewals jumped by almost 10 percent last year in those zip…

Aug. 20– A year after historic rains wreaked havoc on Dane County, some residents continue to feel the impact from high groundwater that’s being blamed for millions of dollars of additional damage. Last year was the second-wettest year in Madison out of 149 years of modern record keeping, according to the National Weather Service. John Reimer, assistant director…

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis hosted a Hurricane Michael Insurance Village this past Friday and Saturday at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City. CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “Over the weekend, my Division of Consumer Services hosted a Hurricane Michael Insurance Village in Panama City that brought together 28 insurance companies to assist…

–InsureMyTrip, a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is alerting travelers that peak hurricane season is now underway. Travelers seeking travel insurance should be aware that once a storm starts forming it is considered a foreseeable event, and coverage will no longer be…

Insure.com, a provider of information on life insurance, home insurance, health insurance and auto insurance, issued the following news release:. Graduated Driver Licensing Laws are meant to save lives and help protect young drivers by allowing them to safely gain driving experience before obtaining full driving privileges. Research shows they work when…

Experts say it’s only a matter of time before a shift in a major fault line off the Oregon coast causes a massive earthquake that generates a tsunami as much as seven stories tall. Even as work on Oregon State University’s Marine Studies Building was underway in Newport, the Legislature went a step further and repealed a ban on construction of new “critical…

–Drunk driving fatalities are on a downward trend across the county. Forty-three states nationwide saw a decrease in drunk driving fatalities from 2000 to 2017, according to a new QuoteWizard ® report. Drunk driving fatalities nationwide decreased by 18% overall from 2000 to 2017 Uber’s ridership trends show that demand for rides peak around times when…

PEMCO Mutual Insurance recently announced Harris Clarke, vice president of operations, will expand his role to include oversight of the company’ s claims department, while he hands off responsibility for the underwriting and product departments to newly promoted executive, Dawn Lee. “Harris’ demonstrated ability to successfully lead high-performance…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority announced the restructuring of more than 200 delinquent loans–totaling approximately $571 million in principal–owed to Puerto Rico’s clean water and drinking water State Revolving Fund programs. “EPA is pleased that Puerto Rico’s SRFs are back on track and able to…

—After devastating flooding this year, Iowa put $15 million into a special fund to help local governments recover and guard against future floods. Missouri allotted more money to fight rising waters, including $2 million to help buy a moveable floodwall for a historic Mississippi River town that’s faced flooding in all but one of the past 20 years.

_ Kemper Corp. on Monday reported second-quarter profit of $122.1 million. The Chicago- based company said it had profit of $1.84 per share. Access a Zacks stock report on KMPR at https://www.zacks.com/ap/KMPR.

Aug. 4– BEARDSTOWN– For Beardstown farmer Jack Hardwick, the long-term flooding of many of his fields near Beardstown, Chandlerville and Meredosia has made this year’s planting season a hard one. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency pays claims to farmers who are prevented from planting their land for any of several reasons, including…