Storms 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…

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National Flood Insurance Program takes yet another financial blow in the form of Hurricane Irene

The damage wrought by Hurricane Irene may be more than original estimated. Though the storm was not quite as powerful as has been predicted, it brought major floods to much of the East Coast. Given the scarcity of flood insurance amongst homeowners, many sought refuge from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The program has been on unsure financial footing for several months, however, being billions of dollars in debt. The program is meant to offer insurance coverage to homeowners that cannot receive such coverage through private insurance companies, yet…

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U.S natural disasters: How the insurance industry is faring and what consumers need to know about the future.

As Hurricane Irene barrels down on the East Coast, Chris Hackett, Director of Personal Lines Policies for The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), has quite a few things to say concerning insurance and how people will be affected by the storm. We were able to ask Mr. Hackett about current, past and even future potential natural disaster events that we all should prepare for. Here is what he had to say: Live Insurance News – With hurricane Irene beating down on the Carolinas, and maybe even New York,…

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In the Northeast residents without flood insurance may be in for a rude awakening

A major hurricane has not made landfall on U.S. soil since 2008, but Hurricane Irene has broken that period of peace. As the first real hurricane of a supposedly active season, Irene seems to be making up for lost time. The storm has already reached Category 3 and is expected to reach the Carolina’s by Thursday. The hurricane will continue moving north, making its way through Long Island, New York and other states. The coming storm has raised concerns regarding insurance coverage as many come to the dire realization that…

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New FEMA flood maps may lower insurance rates, homeowners will have to wait a year to find out

Property insurance rates may be going down for Florida’s Marco Island as FEMA prepares new flood maps. The agency is making changes to their flood maps citing risks from pending storms and other factors. While this may be good news for residents of Marco Island, they will have to wait until next year before they see the lowered rates. FEMA has delayed the release of the Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map saying that a later release date would be in the best interest of the community. The delay will allow…

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