Tag Archives: hurricanes

Florida Politics reports: While another insurance company bids the Sunshine State farewell, Ron DeSantis is urging patience for those homeowners stuck in what he calls a “challenging market.” “I think what’s going to happen is because we did those reforms, it now is more economical for companies to come in. I think they’re going to wait through this hurricane season …

CBS News reports: Farmers Insurance said Tuesday that it will no longer offer coverage in Florida, ending home, auto and others policies in the state in a move that will affect tens of thousands of residents. Farmers becomes the fourth major insurer to pull out of Florida in the past year, as the state’s insurance market looks increasingly precarious amid …

CNN reports: A tropical storm named Bret has formed over the central Atlantic Ocean and will likely become a hurricane on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said Monday afternoon. The storm now has winds of 40 mph and continues to move quickly to the west, according to the center. The hurricane center first identified the storm as a tropical depression …

The Washington Post reports: Waters in the tropical Atlantic Ocean are at their warmest levels on record, which could help fuel an exceptionally early seasonal hurricane by the middle of the week. A tropical disturbance 1,000 miles west of the coast of Africa is predicted to steadily organize over the coming days, with high chances of it becoming a named …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: The 2023 hurricane season officially begins on June 1, and Arlene sits at the top of this year’s list of storm names. The National Hurricane Center moves through an alphabetical list throughout the season. Though hurricane season lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30, storms can form at any time. It is not uncommon for …

Climate Wire reports: The Gulf Coast insurance crisis has hit a new low as two state-chartered insurance associations are being forced to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars for the first time in three decades to pay the hurricane claims of insolvent insurers. Borrowing in Florida and Louisiana could reach a combined $1.35 billion and will be repaid largely by …

NBC News reports: Natural disasters forced an estimated 3.4 million people in the U.S. to leave their homes in 2022, according to Census Bureau data, underscoring how climate-related weather events are already changing American communities. The overwhelming majority of these people were uprooted by hurricanes, followed by floods, then fires and tornadoes. Nearly 40% returned to their homes within a …

NBC News reports: The United States experienced 18 extreme weather events last year that each caused at least $1 billion in damages, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Weather and climate disasters across the country resulted in more than $165 billion in damages in 2022, making it the third-costliest year on record, NOAA …

The Associated Press reports: Florida lawmakers released a massive property insurance bill that would create a $1 billion reinsurance fund, seek to reduce insurance lawsuits and force more people out of the state-created insurer of last resort even if it means property owners end up paying more. The 123-page bill was filed Friday night, less than three days before lawmakers …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Hurricane Nicole made landfall on Florida’s east coast just south of Vero Beach in Indian River County and is now headed inland up into Central Florida. The center of the massive storm is projected to carve a path toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, but with tropical-storm-force winds stretching out 450 miles, the dangers from the storm continue …

AccuWeather reports: A hurricane warning was issued along the central part of Florida’s east coast on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Nicole churned across the Atlantic and showed signs of further strengthening as it tracked toward the storm-weary state. AccuWeather meteorologists expect this sprawling storm to take a turn and hit Florida’s east coast — as a hurricane — later this …

Orlando’s Fox affiliate reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency for 34 Florida counties Monday as the state prepares for potential impacts from Subtropical Storm Nicole this week. The latest update from the National Hurricane Center said the storm will approach the Florida coast as a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday. The order was issued out of an …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Subtropical Storm Nicole formed Monday morning in the Atlantic Ocean with a projected path that could bring it to Florida’s east coast near hurricane strength, according to the National Hurricane Center. As of 8 a.m., the system was located about 520 miles east of the northwestern Bahamas with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph moving north-northwest …

The Palm Beach Post reports: Areas of the Bahamas and east coast of Florida could be issued hurricane or tropical storm watches or warnings as early as Monday with an unusual late-season system taking aim at the Sunshine State. Gov. Ron DeSantis directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Sunday to monitor the Atlantic weather disturbance and to warn …

Florida Politics reports: Twenty-two days since Hurricane Ian hit the Gulf Coast and forged a path of destruction across the state, the amount of federal recovery aid distributed to the state blew past the $1 billion mark. The speed of the aid’s distribution appears to be outpacing — and by some measures overtaking — the federal aid that followed Hurricane …

CNN reports: The Treasury Department announced on Tuesday it is launching an assessment of worsening extreme weather and its impact on the cost of insurance. As climate change is making storms stronger and more destructive, Treasury officials told CNN they want to take a hard look at how climate-related disasters are driving up insurance rates around the country. The department’s …

Florida Politics reports: According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), the owner of Duque Roofing, Terence Duque, was arrested last Friday for contracting without a Florida license, which is a felony crime. CCSO said that Duque had read the Governor’s State of Emergency order regarding contractors, and that he understood it to mean that contractors from out of state …

Axios reports: Hurricane Ian likely caused between $53 to $74 billion in insured losses from Florida to the Carolinas, with a “best estimate” of $67 billion, according to new data released today from modeling firm RMS. These preliminary damage totals would make Hurricane Ian the costliest storm in Florida history and second nationally to Hurricane Katrina when adjusted for inflation. …

The Associated Press reports: Even before Ian, Florida’s home insurance market was dealing with billions of dollars in losses from a string of natural disasters, rampant litigation and increasing fraud. The difficult environment has put many insurers out of business and caused others to raise their prices or tighten their restrictions, making it harder for Floridians to obtain insurance. The …

CNN reports: The devastation wrought by Hurricane Ian likely caused more than $50 billion in damages — and also dinged overall US economic output, economists say. Initial damages from the deadly storm are estimated to be in the range of $45 billion to $55 billion in Florida and at least several billion dollars in South Carolina, according to Laura Ratz, …