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Hurricane Katrina
& Related Newswire
7/5/2006 10:37:00 AM | Investigating insurers 
=(0) Three insurance companies in Louisiana are to have a market behavior audit from the Louisiana Department of Insurance. The companies, Allstate, St. Paul Travelers, and Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp., were the subjects of many customer complaints following last year's hurricanes. The Department allowed for that increase but is chec...
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6/18/2006 2:52:00 PM | Study finds high mold levels in post-Katrina New Orleans air =(0) This study measured airborne mold levels in various locations in New Orleans in October and November 2005. They found extremely high mold levels indoors and outdoors, particularly in areas that were flooded after Hurricane Katrina. Forty-five different species of mold were identified, including Stachybotrys ("toxic mold"), Cladosporum, an...
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6/3/2006 6:51:00 AM | $3M suit blames hurricane plan =(0) A Long Beach, Mississippi woman is suing the Port of Gulfport, State Port Authority, Mississippi Development Corp. and several companies involved in shipping, because a cargo container allegedly washed up and destroyed her house during Hurricane Katrina. The plaintiff says the risks were known because of events during previous hurricanes and t...
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6/1/2006 7:57:00 PM | Last year's hurricane season yielded unexpected health problems =(0) Doctors in Houston, Texas, who treated many patients who were hurricane evacuees last year, report a high incidence of heart problems and that heart attacks suffered were especially severe, immediately following the disaster. Several factors contributed to this, they believe, including failure to bring along, or take, medication, and extreme s...
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6/1/2006 12:08:00 PM | Class Action Suit Filed in New Orleans Against 15 Homeowners ... =(0) Many homeowners' Hurricane Katrina insurance suits in the greater New Orleans area have been consolidated into a class-action lawsuit against fifteen companies. Issues of complaint include the wind-water-flood decisions, arbitrary rulings on waterlines and other evidence, and failure to advise policyholders of risks and the availability of flo...
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5/31/2006 10:56:00 AM | St. Bernard council opts out of class action suit =(0) The Council of St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana has decided to opt out of a class action lawsuit against Murphy Oil U-S-A. Twenty-seven pending lawsuits were consolidated into the class action which claims damages to homes as a result of a crude oil leak from an oil refinery immediately following Hurricane Katrina. Those opting out of the ...
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5/31/2006 1:44:00 AM | Judge denies extension for 'ineligible' evacuees =(0) More than 2000 hurricane evacuees will immediately lose housing assistance, as a request for a restraining order against FEMA was denied. However the judge did urge FEMA to expedite review procedures. The restraining order had been requested to give families more time, until a class action lawsuit against FEMA could be heard. The next he...
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5/30/2006 4:09:00 AM | Workers: Asbestos danger =(0) The destruction caused by last summer's hurricanes along the Gulf Coast is in turn spawning another disaster: those engaged in the cleanup, and even the public at large, are being exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos because regulations are not being followed. Workers and advocacy groups are telling the local media that the way in which bui...
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· FEMA's Defense - Fort Worth Star Telegram
5/27/2006 2:47:00 AM | FEMA defends itself from lawsuit =(0) In response to a class action lawsuit by hurricane evacuees claiming inadequate housing aid, FEMA defended itself mostly by citing procedural issues: FEMA states it is shielded from the suit by "sovereign immunity" which bars lawsuits against government agencies; FEMA states plaintiffs do not have the standing to file the suit and that th...
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5/27/2006 1:07:00 AM | Windstorm insurance rates set to increase =(0) The Texas Windstorm Association (Windpool) will be allowed to raise its rates 3.1% for home policies and 8% for businesses according to a decision by Texas Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin. The increase is substantially less than the association had requested. The Windstorm Association expects as much as a 60% increase in participants ...
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5/26/2006 4:25:00 AM | 243 policyholders sue Nationwide =(0) A group of 243 policyholders are suing Nationwide Insurance in a lawsuit similar to those against State Farm and Allstate. Portions, or all, of their damage claims from Hurricane Katrina were denied on the basis of "storm surge" damage which is considered flooding, as opposed to "wind" damage, which was covered. The plaintiffs claim that it was the...
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5/25/2006 5:55:00 PM | 26 Indicted For FEMA Fraud =(0) Twenty-six central Florida residents have been indicted for FEMA fraud. They allegedly defrauded FEMA of $150,000 in bogus claims, as the hurricanes they claimed damage for (Katrina and Rita) did not even hit central Florida. They allegedly took advantage of a special process designed to get funds to victims as quickly as possible, and now fac...
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4/26/2006 6:12:00 AM | Insurers canceling coastal policies =(0) Many insurance companies are canceling or refusing to sell policies to homeowners all along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States. In Florida, more than a half million homeowners policies are in jeopardy, while in Mississippi, premiums are expected to rise by 400%. A combination of recent and forecast hurricane activity and in...
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4/4/2006 10:52:00 AM | Flirting with disaster =(0) Many companies are resorting to "aggressive improvisation" to bring their companies back to operations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In fact, with smart disaster recovery process in place, tactics like this can be completely avoided. Disaster recovery, or DR testing and procedures can save any company thousands of dollars by planning for Hurric...
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4/4/2006 1:14:00 AM | Foti to probe Red Cross fraud =(0) After claims of fraud and theft against several volunteers with the American Red Cross Hurrican Katrina relief effort, Attorney General Charles Foti Jr. has been called to investigate. Evidence suggests that several red cross volunteers were fraudulently selling supplies for profit.........................
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3/30/2006 2:11:00 PM | Red Cross turns Katrina fraud findings over to FBI =(0) An internal investigation headed by the Red Cross into its Hurricane Katrina relief efforts has yielded information about Red Cross supplies being illegally stockpiled and sold and Red Cross kitchens ordering uneeded supplies. The investigation is now moving forward under the Senate Finance Committee and the FBI................
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3/28/2006 1:19:00 PM | Insurance Checklist for Hurricane Coverage =(0) A new law in Florida forces insurance agents to go through a checklist with their customers in order to ensure they have adequate coverage. Another new law limits deductible charges to one hurricane per season. A copy of the checklist is available for download: http://www.floir.com/pcfr/Documents/OIR-B1-1670.xls............
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3/28/2006 4:15:00 AM | Dale wants answer on wind claims =(0) The struggle continues over vague wording in insurance policies as insurers attempt to deny claims from Hurricane Katrina victims. A US District Judge ruled that Allstate cannot hide behind ambiguous clauses, and the Mississippi State Insurance Commissioner has written to State Farm, demanding explanations of their decisions. The insurance companie...
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3/27/2006 9:32:00 PM | State Farm & Allstate Insurance Mississippi Lawsuit Update =(0) In another Hurricane Katrina-related lawsuit in Mississippi, State Attorney General Jim Hood sued insurance companies over their denial of claims for storm surge. At issue is whether wind or water caused the damage and whether companies are liable for wind damage if flooding occurred. This suit is being lobbed back and forth from federal to state ...
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3/27/2006 7:54:00 AM | Federal Judge Rejects Allstate Request to Dismiss Hurricane =(0) A lawsuit against Allstate will continue in Mississippi, according to a judge's ruling. Allstate had wanted the case dismissed. At issue is whether the home, destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, was damaged by wind or floodwaters. The homeowners did not have flood insurance because they were told by their realtor when purchasing the home that it wasn't ...
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