Californians should purchase flood insurance, says FEMA

flood insurance bill

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says residents of the state need the coverage ahead of El Nino this winter. Officials from FEMA have been urging residents of California to buy flood insurance to cover their homes against damage from rising waters that are very likely in some areas this winter as it is predicted that there will be a strong El Nino. FEMA is advising Californians to purchase these policies regardless of whether they are in the highest risk areas. In fact, the recommendation for purchasing flood insurance has been…

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Flood insurance enters the limelight as hurricane season begins

federal flood insurance program stop

Hurricane season is bringing more attention to flood protection The 2014 Atlantic hurricane season has started, and weather forecasters are predicting that this season may be quite active, but the storms emerging during the season may be modest due to the effects of El Nino. There is no certain way to tell whether or not the hurricane season will be free of any powerful storms, as 2012’s Hurricane Sandy was quite unexpected itself. The impact of an unexpected storm can be devastating, which is why there is a growing interest…

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U.S. weather forecasters herald the end of La Nina

Windstorm

La Nina dissipates on schedule this year and is not expected to return The U.S. Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has announced that the La Nina weather phenomenon has dissipated on schedule this year, coming to an end in April. The weather pattern has been blamed for creating widespread drought in Texas and troublesome natural disaster in other parts of the U.S. These events have caused serious problems for the country’s insurance industry, which has struggled to overcome the problems created by natural catastrophes from the past two years. The CPC…

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Climate Prediction Center heralds the return of El Nino this year

Insurance industry on El Nino watch. The U.S. Climate Prediction Center (CPC), a government agency that provides weather information to the insurance industry and others, has raised concerns that El Nino may make a strong return to the Northern Hemisphere later this year. The weather phenomenon is notorious for the number of natural disasters it spawns throughout the Northern Hemisphere. El Nino brings an increase in rainfall and changes to temperature and wind patterns in some parts of the world. The CPC notes that El Nino could have a disastrous…

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2012 tornado season could be as active as the now notorious 2011

Last year, the U.S. was subject to an unnaturally active tornado season. The season spawned outbreaks of violent windstorms and powerful tornados that cut a path of destruction through much of the mid and mid-eastern states. Last year saw a total of 1,709 tornadoes touched down in the U.S. While this is well short of the 1,817 that formed in 2004, these tornados were far more destructive and widespread. Indeed, 2011 was one of the most disastrous years in recent history, so much such that the insurance industry was hoping…

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