In the wake of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, New York insurance regulators have been inundated with consumer complaints regarding claims. State regulators have been aggressively pressuring insurers and FEMA to resolve complaints and pay out claims, but their actions have run afoul of federal regulators who claim that the state is over stepping its boundaries. In October, FEMA issued a statement regarding the New York Department of Financial Services, decrying the department’s efforts in obtaining information from insurance companies. State regulators, in response, have only continued to work…
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FEMA issues warning for New York and other states affected by Tropical Storm Lee to beware of insurance fraud
More than a month has passed since Tropical Storm Lee made landfall on the East Coast and FEMA is still fielding complaints regarding insurance. The September storm brought flooding in states along the Gulf Coast and continued North until it reached New York. To date, the damage caused by the storm is estimated to be more than $250 million. The storm caused damage to homes, much of which comes from flooding, putting the event on dodgy insurance territory. Most homeowners do not have flood insurance, especially those living in areas…
Read MoreThree storms in the Atlantic have insurers and storm watchers worried
As the hurricane season continues its slow march, new storms are appearing in the Atlantic Ocean, spurring concerns that this season may make good on the promise of unusually high activity. The National Hurricane Center has been tracking Hurricane Katia for a number of weeks as it has hovered just off the East Coast, fluctuating between hurricane status and that of a tropical storm. Two new storms have sprouted in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, and both have storm watchers worried. At present, Katia is designated as a…
Read MoreStorms raging in the Southeastern U.S. may put heavy burden on those without flood insurance
Tropical Storm Lee is making its way through the Southeastern U.S. bringing torrents of rain and the fear of widespread flooding. On its heels is Hurricane Katia, which has forecasters baffled as to where it will be heading. Lee made landfall over the weekend, inundating Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and parts of Louisiana with water. The storm will put strain on an insurance industry that is already reeling from the passing of Hurricane Irene last week and has many worried whether the industry can handle another flood disaster. Flood insurance is…
Read MoreFEMA pulls disaster funds from the South to help the East Coast
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced that it will be freezing some of the disaster aid for the Southern U.S. in order to focus more resources on the East Coast to help the recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Irene. Many Southern states are still struggling to recover from disastrous events earlier in the year. As Tropical Storm Lee surges through these states, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is looking for answers. Ahead of the storm, Nixon has issued a letter to FEMA challenging the agency to justify…
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