The past month has been trying for residents of Missouri. Storms late in April sent the Mississippi River on a rampage. Miles of farmland were inundated with water, causing billions in damage and displacing the state’s farmers. Those same storms were accompanied by an outbreak of tornados that tore through much of the region. The now infamous Joplin tornado – the most deadly and destructive tornado in six decades – that sundered a town and left hundreds without homes was the last of the environmental onslaught. Together, these disasters will…
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Joplin tornado outbreak one of the most violent ever seen
Joplin, Missouri, is still reeling from a massive tornado that touched down late Sunday evening. The tornado is the deadliest since 1947, claiming 123 lives. That number is expected to rise, however, as rescue workers continue to sift through the wreckage. The insurance industry has responded well to the disaster, coming off the heels of April’s calamitous storms. EQECAT, a catastrophe modeling firm, has released their initial estimates of how much the disaster will cost insurers: $3 billion. Joplin stood directly in the path of the tornado, which first formed…
Read MoreStorm chasers prey on unsuspecting homeowners in times of chaos
Senate Bill 101 passed by an almost unanimous vote, sending the consumer protection law on to Missouri Governor Jay Nixon. The bill was created to protect homeowners from being ripped off by scamming contractors and home repair workers. Unfortunately, in times of disaster, some people will see it as a money making opportunity. They know that typically, after an area is hit by a natural disaster, state and government funds are poured into that region to help aid and recovery efforts. The officials call these unethical people “storm-chasers”. This is…
Read MoreMissouri residents are underinsured
Missouri just held an event noting the 200 year anniversary for the New Madrid earthquake. John M. Huff, the acting director Missouri’s Department of Insurance, spoke at said event to help bring awareness to the weak number of homes that actually have earthquake insurance within the state. He has also has expressed in the past, that there’s a large percentage of homeowners that will not be accurately protected if an earthquake happens these days. Huff’s concern is, that over the past ten year’s the amount of earthquake policies purchased has sharply decreased and the ones that do have…
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