After a tropical storm or hurricane has left your city, you may think the coast is clear. Think again. Your life could still be in jeopardy even though the storm has already powered over your home. How? The unsuspecting waters on streets left behind by storms that does not absorb into the ground, referred to as “stormwater runoff“, can contain extremely hazardous substances. And, according to The Federal Emergency Management Agency,...

Hurricanes in the Atlantic ocean have a reputation for taking a financial toll on the eastern coast of the United States. Reports show that even lower category storms can have a huge economic impact on coastal cities. So just which hurricanes have been the most expensive? It depends! Hurricane costs are merely estimates of a combination of certain monetary factors. Expenses may include damages to structures and property. Many totals include the...

A third special session might be held in September by Gov. Rick Perry for Texas representatives to iron out details regarding Texas Windstorm Insurance Association reform. Senator Larry Taylor, Representative Todd Hunter and Representative David Bonnen are spearheading an overhaul of the TWIA, an idea overlooked in the second special session. “While several of my bills to overhaul the funding and claims management mechanisms of TWIA were...

As of June 2013, two bills regarding the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) passed in the Texas legislature. Representative Dennis Bonnen and Representative Greg Bonnen of Angleton authored House Bill 3007 in efforts to eradicate any confusion regarding structural modifications to homes by removing the Alternative Eligibility Certification program and any WPI-12 certification requirements. The WPI-12 program was created in 2011 as a...

In 2005 during Hurricane Katrina, thousands of students were forced to evacuate Tulane University and Louisiana State University. Representatives at Tulane did not fully expect to have to close the school for the entire fall, but the semester was cancelled nonetheless. University officials from Tulane led an evacuation of hundreds of students. Coping With The Situation At the insistence of the American Council on Education and the Associate of...

The United States Congress passed the National Flood Insurance Act in 1968, establishing the National Flood Insurance Program or “NFIP”. This legislation protects homeowners against damages or losses incurred during floods. More importantly, the program motivates communities to take action and provide safeguards to decrease the risk of floods in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs or areas with extremely high risks of...