MAITLAND— Hours after Tropical Storm Nicole passed through Sharon Kidd’ s neighborhood, the homeowner was surprised to hear an oak tree smash through her attic and bedroom ceiling. Kidd was even more surprised when her insurance company, USAA, sent her a check for the damage to her nearly 2,600- square-foot home in south Maitland, minus $12,440.

As noted in the linked article above, "' Weather shocks are on the rise,' Ernst Rauch, chief climate scientist at Munich Re, told Reuters.' We can't directly attribute any single severe weather event to climate change. Too bad that California, now experiencing the biggest disaster of the year so far, and then the Alabama tornadoes that hit recently are two more…

United Way Suncoast recently received $869,000 from the United Way of Florida Disaster Fund to extend assistance for mid- and long-term recovery from Hurricane Ian. The latest support will boost work that has already taken place in the DeSoto County and Myakka City area. The assistance includes a collaborative effort with Amazon, Habitat for Humanity of…

Although never a big-game hunter, I have killed three deer in Colorado and likely gave a bull elk a terrific headache. State legislators delivered a message last year when appropriating $5 million for wildlife connectivity involving highways in high-priority areas. They range from Interstate 25 south of Colorado Springs to Highway 13 north of Craig near…

Jan. 17— The federal government is establishing an office dedicated to cleaning up abandoned oil and gas sites, a move that Louisiana officials say will likely speed the process of tackling the state's growing' orphan' well problem. Late last year, the Interior Department began working with DNR to plug about 150 wells in five national wildlife refuges in…

National Weather Service representatives toured the area around Ivy Log Drive in south Cobb and determined an EF1 tornado with 110 mph winds was responsible for the destruction, according to a Saturday release from the county. The conclusions from NWS officials confirm the hunches of Zain Hansraj, the owner of 18 Wheeler Truck Parts& Chrome, and James Palmer…

Ron DeSantis signed legislation Dec. 16 that he stated is designed to stabilize Florida's property insurance market, increase competition and strengthen consumer protections, with a goal of reducing the cost of property insurance for consumers. While there is no doubt that the property insurance industry needs help, my experience indicates this law will…

Parametric flood insurance company FloodFlash, the first insurance provider to pay catastrophic flood claims as fast as four hours, announced they have entered the U.S. insurance market.

According to Atlas EV Hub, a national data firm that tracks EV sales, Oregon was No. 2 in the nation in 2021, behind California, for the share of new vehicles sold that are electric. Oregon is currently tied for the No. 2 spot in 2022 with Hawaii and Washington. A resident could have purchased their EV in another state and registered it in Oregon.

When Hurricane Laura made landfall in the small town of Cameron on Louisiana's southwestern coast on August 27, 2020, there was little that its 150 mph winds left untouched. "It hit exactly where our system is," Michael Heinen, general manager of Jefferson Davis Electric Co-op, said of Laura. A tent city was built at Chennault airport in Lake Charles, housing 800…

NAPERVILLE— Dangerous wood, metal and glass shards embedded in the yards of 70 Naperville homes by an EF-3 tornado on June 20, 2021, will be removed and the soil replaced through a grant from the state. Anne Stava-Murray, D- Naperville, was able to include $1 million for the needed environmental cleanup in the state's capital program that was adopted during the…

Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix said his office has been informed by Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King that there possibly may be a scam involving alleged construction workers coming into the community from Texas and Kentucky. According to the Better Business Bureau, "Storm victims should never feel pressured to make a hasty…

So far the debris has mostly blocked roads and highways and has not harmed communities as in 2018 when mudslides roared through Montecito, killing 23 people and wiping out 130 homes. Experts say California has learned important lessons from the Montecito tragedy, and has more tools to pinpoint the hot spots and more basins and nets are in place to capture the…

—An Alabama engine mechanic took refuge in a shipping container as a tornado from a violent storm decimated his shop and killed two of his neighbors along its destructive path across Alabama and Georgia. The harrowing stories of David Hollon and other survivors of Thursday’ s storm are emerging as residents comb through the wreckage wrought by tornadoes and…

As Pearlie Miller stood in front of her home in Selma on Friday morning, she wasn't assessing the damage done by the destructive tornado that tore through the city the day prior. An insurance adjuster had already done that for her— noting that the entire left side of her house was blown in and the wrought iron posts on her porch were barely supporting the roof.

Wilfred Bourne, the Calcasieu Parish School Board's chief financial officer, presented a general overview of recovery progress at the board's Tuesday meeting. The range of damages on these assets ranged from just under $1 million to over $20 million. CPSB has $210 million in obligations from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Jan. 14— The Legislature will likely hold a special session next month to address Louisiana's property insurance crisis, Senate President Page Cortez said Saturday. The Senate leader also said he thinks it could be finished ahead of Mardi Gras— a vacation and celebration time statewide— since the meeting would likely be limited. Another factor is the Washington…