Approximately 125,000 of State Farm’s “most vulnerable customers” in Florida should brace themselves to receive some potentially bad news: their policies with State Farm Insurance are being cancelled. MSNBC and others are reporting that State Farm Florida will be canceling policies for nearly a fifth of its clients, most of them in coastal areas. It […]
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Case-Study: Freeboard Pays Off for Office/Condo
Posted on February 4, 2010
In 2008 a developer in North Dakota opted to spend an extra $2,000 to elevate a mixed business/condo structure 3 feet higher than the height required by the National Flood Insurance Program (i.e., he incorporated freeboard). “We realized the land was low-lying and we didn’t want to risk having the building flood,” he said. “Elevating […]
Community Threatens to Fine Homeowners Over Renourished-Beach Access
Posted on February 2, 2010
The New Jersey Star-Ledger has published a fascinating story about a barrier island community struggling with whether or not the Township can nourish private beaches within its jurisdiction without the blessing of its waterfront landowners. The debate, distilled into one paragraph: “Mayors want to keep beaches and dunes wide, attractive and safe. Waterfront homeowners balk […]
New Flood Maps for Mobile, Baldwin Counties Delayed Until at Least 2012
Posted on February 2, 2010
The Press-Register is reporting that a state manager is reporting that the release of updated flood maps for Alabama coastal counties will be pushed back to 2012, and maybe even later. The maps were previously expected this year. Not good news for communities trying to plan safer development/redevelopment. “New flood maps for Mobile, Baldwin counties […]
Two Communities on Two Coasts Move to Adapt to New Climates
Posted on February 1, 2010
Two new articles from two different areas on two different coasts. Both Neskowin, Oregon and the Norfolk-Virginia Beach metropolitan area are working to move beyond debating a changing climate to discussing what they’re going to do about it. Neskowin: a community with a disappearing beach An article in OregonLive describes how this small community (population […]
FEMA Grants Conference Call—February 5
Posted on January 28, 2010
A friend just passed this announcement our way: The DHS Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives would like to connect you to some of our colleagues in FEMA and share information on specific grant programs to strengthen your resilience against hazards. The call will provide an overview of four programs: Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) […]
Alabama Legislature Debates New Coastal Insurance Reform
Posted on January 28, 2010
AL.com has a summary of a few coastal insurance reform bills currently making their way through the Alabama state legislature. Two of them that would allow entities called “surplus insurers” to begin writing policies in the state passed their respective legislative committees Wednesday. These bills are designed to increase competition in the state’s insurance market. […]
FEMA May Forgive Some Katrina/Rita Loans
Posted on January 22, 2010
Briefly, FEMA has announced a loan forgiveness program for government agencies that received money after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Under the new regulations, local governments that received Community Disaster Loans from FEMA can apply to have all or part of the loans erased if its revenues in the 36 months after the two major storms […]
Hurricane Damage Prediction Tough, Even for Insurance Companies
Posted on January 21, 2010
A report released yesterday finds that short-term hurricane damage models, designed to project insured losses in the United States from Atlantic hurricanes for the past five-years, have significantly overestimated losses for the cumulative 2006 through 2009 seasons. From the press release: “This latest study further supports our previous findings that a short time horizon is […]
Habitat for Humanity Building Hurricane Resistant Home in Fairhope
Posted on January 13, 2010
This just in from the Habitat for Humanity Chapter in Baldwin County: Habitat for Humanity is building an affordable, hurricane-resistant home in Fairhope, Alabama. You are invited to volunteer to help build the home, become a project sponsor or learn about the special products and construction techniques that will help this home better withstand hurricanes, […]