derecho News

Auto Property Claim Volume Still Low, But Storm Damages Pushed Numbers

Motorists who are hunkering down because of social distancing are continuing to file fewer collision claims, but a rash of windstorms, hailstorms and wildfires in August may bring total auto property damage claims numbers almost to normal levels if the …

Drones Help Insurance Companies Check Damage in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Insurance adjusters who descended on Cedar Rapids after the Aug. 10 derecho storm are using drones to check roofs and asking homeowners with less severe damage to take their own photos. Some of this is due …

Iowa Farmers Assess Losses After Storm Flattened Cornfields

DES MOINES, Iowa — Farmers across a wide swath of Iowa are dealing with the heartbreaking aftermath of a rare wind storm that turned what was looking like a record corn crop into deep losses for many. The storm, known …

Powerful Derecho Leaves Path of Devastation Across Midwest

IOWA CITY, Iowa — A rare storm packing 100 mph winds and with power similar to an inland hurricane swept across the Midwest, blowing over trees, flipping vehicles, causing widespread property damage and leaving hundreds of thousands without power as …

Researchers Demonstrate How Lightning Strikes Can Improve Storm Forecasts

Humans have always been frightened and fascinated by lightning. This month, NASA is scheduled to launch a new satellite that will provide the first nonstop, high-tech eye on lightning over the North American section of the planet. University of Washington …

Tulsa Finishing Up Cleanup From July Windstorm

Crews in Tulsa, Okla., are in the final stages of debris cleanup from a major windstorm in July, but the operation has already used up more than one-third of the overtime funds normally set aside for snow and ice removal, …

Storm, Inmate Settlements Boost West Virginia BRIM Costs

A major storm and settlements of inmate lawsuits contributed to a nearly $20 million increase in the West Virginia Board of Risk and Insurance Management’s claims expenses. The agency’s annual report shows that claims expenses claims for the fiscal year …

West Virginia Insurance Premiums Stable After 2012 Derecho

West Virginia property owners in general didn’t see a huge uptick in insurance premiums after making claims from last summer’s massive windstorm, state data shows. Figures compiled by the state Insurance Commissioner’s office show nearly 36,700 insurance claims were filed …

Strange Tidal Flow in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay was Tsunami

Marine scientists say a strange rise and fall in the water of Narragansett Bay earlier this month was a small tsunami. Chris Kincaid, an assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island’s School of Oceanography, tells the Providence Journal the …

Eleven Weather Disasters Cost More Than $1 Billion in 2012

The U.S. suffered 11 weather and climate disasters last year that caused more than $1 billion in damage each and killed more than 300 people, making 2012 the second-most costly and active year on record, according to the National Climatic …