Hurricane Ike Insurance Dispute Information

NOAA retires deadly hurricane names

Published on: May 14, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

In a move set to memorialize and preserve the memory of the carnage and harm recent hurricanes have caused, the NOAA is retiring several notable storm names from active use in the upcoming hurricane season.

The names Gustav, Ike and Paloma will never be associated with future hurricanes or tropical storms on account of their deadly romp through the Caribbean last year, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced.

The storms claimed more than 200 lives and left a trail of destruction calculated in the billions across the region from August to November 2008.

New website features Open Galveston attractions

Published on: May 4, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

Submitted by a reader (and we love our readers!), a new website is available to see just what popular attractions and sites on the island of Galveston are open! Check out Galveston Now Open! to see just what sites you can visit that have recovered from Hurricane Ike.

Much like the determination and rigor that New Orleans demonstrated in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the site features the emerging “Now Open” signs across the Texas island and the optimism this demonstrates for the Gulf Coast region.

A snippet from the site describing the rebuilding efforts:

Galveston on the Rebound

Published on: April 30, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

On Sunday, the Nashua Telegraph featured in their Living section a nice write-up about the recovery effort going on for the residents of Galveston. While there is still a lot of work to be done, it appears that the heart and desire is there for locals to completely rebuild the area after the devastation left by Hurricane Ike:

Despite these and a handful of other shuttered buildings, Galveston has reopened for business just in time for the spring tourism season.

The Flagship is one of only four of the island’s 40 hotels that remain closed since the Category 2 storm tore through town.

SE Texas Residents expected to sue soon over Ike delays

Published on: April 29, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

In the wake of insurance companies backing out of agreements intended to help policy holders rebuild their homes and move on with their lives, SE Texas residents are beginning to feel the need to turn to the legal system to receive the money they are owed. KBMT news did a feature on an impending ‘explosion’ of lawsuits after insurance companies like Allstate have gone back on deals that it had made with policy holders.

Kim and Terry Cooper have lived in their Orange County home for 10 years but were dumbfounded when their insurance company walked away from the Cooper’s damage claims.

“They kept putting us off it seemed like Allstate was trying to keep their money as long as they wanted” said Kim Cooper.

Texas Windstorm Insurance facing financial crisis

Published on: April 22, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

Texas’ state-run wind damage insurance program has fallen into financial crisis as a result of settlements and payouts in the face of recent hurricanes. Insurance reform has been pushed to the top of Governor Perry’s priority list in the new legislative session but things are not looking good for the program:

An arduous task is ahead for Texas legislators as they continue to hammer out measures meant to shore up the state’s property insurance market in time for this year’s hurricane season, which begins June 1.

While it continues to pay claims from Hurricane Ike last September, the state-run Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is in a “severe financial crisis,” said Jerry Johns, president of the Southwestern Insurance Information Service and a spokesman for TWIA, which he said has depleted the Catastrophe Reserve Trust Fund. In addition, reinsurance expires May 31, he said.

Insurance Companies Delaying Rebuilding Efforts

Published on: April 8, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

A recent article by Houston’s Chronicle highlights the delays being faced by Texas property owners in the wake of Hurricane Ike. Not surprisingly, almost all involve insurance company delays:

LIST OF COMPLAINTS

Top five reasons Texas homeowners have lodged Ike-related complaints against the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, as of March 12, and the number of complaints.

Deadline for FEMA assistance for home elevation extended

Published on: April 7, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

Per The Times-Picayune, FEMA has delayed the deadline to 2012 for collecting insurance money designated for the elevation and protection of homes in Louisiana:

Because of the slow flow of other federal money, such as Road Home grants, FEMA had already pushed back the deadline for home-raising work under the National Flood Insurance Program’s Increased Cost of Compliance provision.

Typically, to collect up to $30,000 in so-called ICC money to cover the costs of protecting their property from future storms, rebuilding homeowners have two years from the date that their property is declared “substantially damaged” to complete the relevant work. FEMA had already extended that to four years.

13 Hurricane Ike Suits Spring up in Southeast Texas

Published on: April 2, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

The Southeast Texas Record reports

A total of 13 suits against insurance companies regarding Hurricane Ike damage claims were filed in Jefferson County District Court during the week of March 23 – March 27, 2009.

Insurance companies are coming to realize people are beginning to become aware of delay and undercutting tactics and resorting to litigation to get the money they deserve. The longer people wait to hire an attorney when they start dealing with the absurd undertakings of insurance companies the longer their payout will take.

Commissioner Reminds Citizens of Tax Rebate Opportunities

Published on: March 16, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

During an interview with WBRZ, Louisiana’s insurance chief reminded Gulf Coast residents about tax rebates available to citizens in the wake of Gustav and Ike.

Homeowners who suffered property damage from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike are eligible for two tax rebates and a tax deduction. Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said property owners will receive a rebate if they were charged for a Louisiana Citizens assessment on their 2008 policies. Additionally, residents can claim damages in excess of $100 as a 2008 federal hurricane tax deduction.

The video of the interview can be found here.

Gulfport Mayor Facing Insurance Allegations Won’t Run for Re-election

Published on: March 11, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

Per the Insurance Journal:

Gulfport, Mississippi Mayor Brent Warr, who is under indictment on several counts of fraud, will not run for re-election.

Warr made the announcement this week in a videotaped message released by his office.