ShareThisMultiple Storms Keep Gulf Coast and Atlantic Seaboard on High Alert
After Mother Nature showed Florida with Fay that no part of the state is immune to her wrath, she’s now teasing citizens unmercifully. Since mid-August, a “conga line” of storms has danced its way across the Atlantic Ocean, threatening the United States after stomping on every tropical island in its path.
Gustav skirted past the Florida Keys and into the Gulf, providing New Orleans with the opportunity to prove they have learned much from the mistakes of Katrina. At the same time, the storm stiffened the spine of coastal Texas and caused state officials to ready shelters. Hanna drifted so far eastward she wore herself out from a hurricane to a tropical storm, but in the process gave the Georgia coast a brief scare and South Carolina and North Carolina a chance to practice for a bigger storm.
And, as of Advocacy Update publication time, Hurricane Ike, which has twice peaked at category 4 strength and is fresh from pummeling Cuba, will likely slip into the Gulf and head for the Louisiana/Texas border, tagging the Keys as he goes by. It is a long time until the end of hurricane season.
Hanna not only affected the usual suspects along the southeast Atlantic coast, she disrupted activities farther up the shoreline, as well. NASCAR postponed its scheduled race in Richmond, Va., from Saturday to Sunday, likely losing some “serious visitor dollars,” according to Erin Collins, NAMIC Mid-Atlantic state affairs manager. Preparing for a test of flood reforms since Gaston dropped more than 13 inches of rain in 11 hours in 2004, Gov. Timothy Kaine declared a state of emergency on Sept. 4 in anticipation of the blow. Virginians are posting their experiences over the weekend to YouTube, a trend that has picked up significantly over the last few years:
Gov. Martin O’Malley also declared a state of emergency in Maryland, where Hanna lifted the waves in Ocean City and made a few surfers sudden fans of the East Coast.
Even the stoic Northeast got a little worried. Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Thomas Sullivan issued a reminder to all companies regarding the applicability of hurricane and wind deductibles as Hanna approached the region. Predictions of heavy rains resulted in a time change for a Jimmy Buffet concert in Mansfield, Mass., Saturday. The show was rescheduled to start at 3 p.m. instead of 8 p.m., and the parking lot opened for tailgating at 8 a.m.
From Connecticut to Texas, everyone is learning or re-learning about hurricane preparation and the safety concerns and financial risk of living on or near the coast. According to the Texas Department of Insurance, the Governor's Division of Emergency Management, reported on Sunday that the state will prepare for Hurricane Ike to strike somewhere on the Texas coast as a catastrophic hurricane in the early morning of Saturday, Sept. 13. GDEM is repositioning people and assets that were deployed for Hurricane Gustav, and is planning for a massive evacuation. All shelters in the state have been put on standby. GDEM is contacting FEMA and other states for resources, including food, buses, medical teams, and ambulances. “The Texas Legislature is already poised to debate funding issues related to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Pool in 2009,” said Joe Thesing, NAMIC's director of state affairs. “TWIA funding is already a critical issue. A catastrophic storm could drain the pool and require assessments.”
Because of Ike’s trajectory, Texas is hurriedly transporting Louisiana evacuees back home in order to start their own evacuations. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has been lauded for his leadership before and after Gustav, and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin appears to have redeemed himself after his city was literally drowned by Katrina. Evacuations went smoothly, the levees held this time, and law enforcement enforced order. Almost everyone should have power back by the end of the week, and policyholders are calling in claims.
“Claims handling from Gustav seems to be going well so far,” said Liz Reynolds, NAMIC's Southeast state affairs manager. “At least one newspaper article has included quotes by Washington lawyer Gary Thompson, who attempted to make the change to hurricane percentage deductibles since Katrina sound like a nefarious scheme by greedy insurers. However, the article also related stories of satisfied customers and a comment by Commissioner Jim Donelon saying he has received no complaints to date. But I’m sure we’ll be dealing with legislation on this topic in 2009.”
Direct questions to NAMIC Director of State Affairs Joe Thesing or NAMIC State Affairs Managers Erin Collins, Liz Reynolds, or Paul Tetrault.
Posted: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 12:00:00 AM. Modified: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 1:52:45 PM.
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