Mississippi Bill Addresses Post-Hurricane Insurance Disputes

A U.S. senator from Mississippi is introducing a bill that tries to resolve wind-versus-water insurance disputes for structures wiped out by hurricanes.

Republican Roger Wicker says his bill is called the COASTAL Act – Consumer Option for an Alternative System to Allocate Losses.

It would establish a formula to determine property losses caused by wind or by water in hurricanes, and the formula would apply only in cases where structures are left as slabs. Wicker says information would be gathered from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, academic institutions and private entities.

The wind-versus-water disputes led to lengthy lawsuits in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

Wicker says he will seek co-sponsors for his bill. He says some insurers like the proposal and some don’t.