Polar sea ice coverage was below average for the month
Source: NOAA 2/12/21 Article
True to trend, Mother Earth kicked off 2021 with a balmy January that ranked 7th-warmest in the temperature record, according to scientists with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
Warmth took its toll on sea ice as well, with below-average ice coverage observed at both ends of the planet.
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NFIP Training Bulletin
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to monitor the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as it relates to COVID-19. To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the CDC is encouraging organizations to promote social distancing, hold meetings via videoconferencing, reduce non-essential travel, and adjust or postpone events and gatherings.
In light of this situation, all 2021 NFIP Adjuster Claims Presentations will be held via webinar.
California’s Commissioner 10-2-2020 Press Release
From the Press Release.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In response to California’s latest destructive fires, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is requesting that insurance companies help wildfire survivors who are overwhelmed with the task of navigating the claims process by providing up to 100 percent of personal property coverage limits without a detailed inventory to those who suffered a total loss of their home, similar to previous identical requests in past years.
Source: FEMA - Updated 10/6
The information below is from the FEMA Daily Ops Briefing issued 10/06 @ 8:30 am
Situation: : Of the over 7 million acres burned, the National Watch Center continues to track 11 active fires that have burned nearly 2 million acres from the West Coast to the Rocky Mountains. Mandatory evacuations continue throughout the impacted regions. No reported unmet needs.
Yellow alert for economic losses. Some damage is possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of GDP of the United States. Past events with this alert level have required a local or regional level response.
August 6, 2020 - Atmospheric and oceanic conditions are primed to fuel storm development in the Atlantic, leading to what could be an “extremely active” season, according to forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. Today, the agency released its annual August update to the Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook, initially issued in May.
PAGER - GREEN ShakeMap - VII DYFI? - VIII Time2020-07-22 06:12:44 UTC2020-07-22 06:12:44 UTC at epicenterLocation55.030°N 158.522°WDepth28.00 km (17.40 mi)
Source: NOAA
From the NOAA Forecast;
"May 21, 2020An above-normal 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is expected, according to forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. The outlook predicts a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and only a 10% chance of a below-normal season. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30.
Source:Department of Atmospheric Science Colorado State University
We anticipate that the 2020 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have above-normal activity. Current warm neutral ENSO conditions appear likely to transition to cool neutral ENSO or potentially even weak La Niña conditions by this summer/fall. Sea surface temperatures averaged across the tropical Atlantic are somewhat above normal. Our Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation index is below its long-term average; however, most of the tropical Atlantic is warmer than normal. We anticipate an above-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the continental United States coastline and in the Caribbean. As is the case with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one...
Re: COVID-19: Suspension of certain licensing requirements and fees
The below is from the bulletin.
March 24, 2020
To: All TDI-regulated carriers, agents, adjusters, and licensees
Re: COVID-19: Suspension of certain licensing requirements and fees
On March 13, 2020, Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Governor authorized the use of all available state and local government resources necessary to cope with the disaster.
TDI expects carriers to work with their policyholders as they prepare for and respond to the spread of COVID-19. Carriers should look to the Governor’s ongoing declarations related to COVID-19 for guidance on how long to extend relief.
PAGER - GREEN ShakeMap - VI DYFI? - VI Time2020-03-18 22:08:20 UTC2020-03-18 14:08:20 -08:00 at epicenterLocation40.348°N 124.456°WDepth28.61 km (17.78 mi)
PAGER - YELLOW ShakeMap - VIII DYFI? - VITime2020-03-18 13:09:31 UTC2020-03-18 06:09:31 -07:00 at epicenterLocation40.751°N 112.078°WDepth11.70 km (7.27 mi)
Source: USGS
M 7.1 - 17km NNE of Ridgecrest, CA
2019-07-06 03:19:52 (UTC)35.766°N 117.605°W17.0 km depth
Issued: 23 May 2019
2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook: Summary
a. Predicted Activity
NOAA's outlook for the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season indicates that a near-normal season has the highest chance of occurring (40%), followed by equal chances (30%) of an above-normal season and a below-normal season. See NOAA definitions of above-, near-, and below-normal seasons. The Atlantic hurricane region includes the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico
Source: NOAA
"The so-called bomb cyclone that brought heavy snow, blizzard conditions and major flooding to the Midwest in March landed with a resounding meteorological “ka-boom!” and became one of two billion-dollar weather and climate disasters this year.
The other was a severe storm that struck the Northeast, Southeast and Ohio Valley in late February."
The above is from the NOAA article, follow the Read More link for the article.
Source: Department of Atmospheric Science Colorado State University
"We anticipate that the 2019 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have slightly below normal activity. The current weak El Niño event appears likely to persist and perhaps even strengthen this summer/fall. Sea surface temperatures averaged across the tropical Atlantic are slightly below normal, and the far North Atlantic is anomalously cool. Our Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation index is below its long-term average. We anticipate a slightly below-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the continental United States coastline and in the Caribbean. As is the case with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them....
Source: AccuWeather
...
"After an active Atlantic hurricane season in 2018, AccuWeather forecasters are predicting 2019 to result in a near- to slightly above-normal season with 12 to 14 storms.
Of those storms, five to seven are forecast to become hurricanes and two to four are forecast to become major hurricanes."
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Photo from the CADO Gallery
Source: NOAA
From the NOAA Report;
"Nearly two-thirds of the Lower 48 states face an elevated risk for flooding through May, with the potential for major or moderate flooding in 25 states, according to NOAA’s U.S. Spring Outlook issued today. The majority of the country is favored to experience above-average precipitation this spring, increasing the flood risk.
Portions of the United States – especially in the upper Mississippi and Missouri River basins including Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa – have already experienced record flooding this year. This early flooding was caused by rapid snow melt combined with heavy spring rain and late season snowfall in areas where soil moisture is high. In some areas, ice jams are...
County officials say upstream dam releases causing major flooding, economic loss in ENC WITNBERTIE COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - Several Eastern Carolina counties are asking for help as flooding from upstream dam releases threaten their economies.
Conditions are ripe for widespread spring flooding in Nebraska, Iowa Omaha World-HeraldThis could be a rough spring. National Weather *Service* hydrologists on Thursday sounded the alarm over the potential for significant flooding in the central U.S. ...
Fitz Casino reopens after flooding WREG NewsChannel 3TUNICA, Miss. — Fitz Casino and Hotel has reopened after temporarily closing due to excess flooding.
Watertown leaders preparing for flooding KSFYLeaders with Watertown and Codington County are already preparing for potential flooding in the coming weeks and months.
Heavy snowmelt runoff in Verde, Salt rivers causes road closures, flooding in Phoenix area AZCentralThis year's winter storms have created water runoff into the Salt River and floods through the southwest Valley, but is replenishing the water supply.
Knoxville church assembles care kits, collects water for flooding victims WATE 6 On Your SideAnother local church has stepped up to help families affected by recent flooding.
American Homeowners and Their Insurers Face a Flooding Crisis From Within The Wall Street JournalMore homeowners are reporting water damage from inside their homes even as many other types of claims—including fire—have declined in frequency, ...
Heavy rain floods homes, forces closures St. George Daily SpectrumA rainstorm which moved through the area Wednesday caused flooding in the community of Brookside.
Source: canadianunderwriter.ca
For independent adjusters, the need to replace retiring workers is becoming more urgent.
“A number of our front-line adjusters are very senior, very talented and experienced,” said Paul Féron senior vice president for Ontario and Manitoba at ClaimsPro LP. “In the next 5 to 10 years, a significant number of them will be retiring and deserve to retire. We need to be implementing proper succession planning and mentoring programs.”
Source of the above excerpt: canadianunderwriter.ca
Updated: 3/24/19
The North Carolina Joint Underwriting Association (NCJUA), also known as the FAIR (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) Plan, is a tax exempt association of insurance companies licensed to write and engage in writing property insurance coverage in North Carolina. The Association was created by law to act as a market of last resort to provide adequate basic property insurance to property owners having insurable property in North Carolina.
The above is a quote from their site.
Source: Simsol Blog
Build Release 8.1.13 is now available for Simsol’s Property Estimating Software. The most significant improvements are the multi-page functionality and the new NFIP Forms for the Preliminary and Final Reports. The National Flood Insurance Program’s updated flood claim forms for adjusters were updated to improve readability to make it easier for policyholders to understand.
Source: Simsol website
The payouts from reinsurance hit the company’s bottom line after fires damaged several settlements and killed dozens in the US’s most populous state. It also faces challenges from difficult markets. “ ...
The Texas Insurance Code restricts the ability of adjusters to ... contractor’s challenge to a ruling that certified a class of property owners who claim the company unlawfully acted as an insurance a...
PARADISE, Calif. -- A small insurance company was found to be insolvent after the deadliest and most destructive fire destroyed thousands of homes in Butte County. California's insurance regulator has ...
From Wikipedia
The 2018 Atlantic hurricane season was the third in a consecutive series of above-average and damaging Atlantic hurricane seasons, featuring 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 2 major hurricanes and a total of $33.3 billion (2018 USD) in damages. The season officially began on June 1, 2018, and ended on November 30, 2018.
TENS of millions of dollars in claims have been lodged with just one of multiple insurance companies as a result of the supercell that ripped through the Gympie region in October. The hail-loaded stor...
New research reveals that companies who take their insurers to court over non-payment of an insurance claim only win in around one in three cases. The findings are from Mactavish, the UK’s leading exp...
The platform is designed to expedite insurance claim approvals, cuts costs and eliminate duplicated claims to different insurers. Noting that patient data is encrypted and protected by the platform, M...
November 14, 2018 Press Release
Insurance Commissioner issues emergency declaration to help fire survivors across the state
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In the wake of the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California’s history, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones today declared an emergency situation, which allows insurance companies to use out-of-state adjusters to help handle the large volume of claims resulting from the Camp and Woolsey Fires.
Claims reported by the company dropped by 23.4pc to 38.7 ... The insurance industry in Ethiopia incorporates 17 insurance companies and has 524 branches operating with 4.8 billion Br in total capital. ...
Source: CoreLogic Press Release
Source: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation is reporting a total of 78,688 claims as of October 18, 2018 with Total Estimated Insured Losses at $835,868,692. See the report for additional details.