Superstorm Sandy News

AGCS Report: As Hurricanes Increase in Severity, Costs Balloon

A new report by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) outlines how increasingly destructive storms and their extraordinary costs are becoming a “new normal” in the U.S. The average amount paid for extreme events, including windstorms, by insurers between 1980 …

Superstorm Sandy’s Impact on Flood Risk Assessment, Mitigation 5 Years Later

It’s been five years since Superstorm Sandy caused widespread devastation to the East Coast, causing an estimated $18.75 billion in insured property losses at the time, according to ISO’s Property Claim Services (PCS). In an interview with Claims Journal, Marc …

Contractor Fraud Leaves Some Rebuilding 5 Years After Sandy

After Superstorm Sandy flooded the first floor of his New Jersey home with 4 feet of water, Rich Bindell shelled out tens of thousands of dollars to a contractor he knew was approved by the state and had done other …

Officials Reflect on Superstorm Sandy 5 Years Later

It’s been five years since Superstorm Sandy struck the Eastern seaboard late during the 2012 hurricane season. Recently, local city and government officials were interviewed to give their perspective on the storm in a five-year overview video created by James …

Study Finds Bad Flood Could Hit NYC Every 5 Years

Within the next three decades, floods that used to strike the New York City area only once every 500 years could occur every five years, according to a new scientific study released just days before the fifth anniversary of Superstorm …

Insurance Fights Over Sandy Rage On

The destructive floodwaters of Superstorm Sandy receded quickly, but some storm victims are still neck-deep in a battle over insurance payouts. And many victims of this year’s storms in Texas, Florida and elsewhere should brace themselves for a similar fight, …

New York Couple Charged With $750,000 Hurricane Sandy Relief Fraud

A Staten Island, N.Y., couple was charged with making false statements to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in connection with their obtaining more than $750,000 in disaster relief …

Judges Approve New Jersey Coastal Dune Projects, Despite Protesting Residents

Republican Gov. Chris Christie’s administration’s plan for storm protection along the entire 127 miles (204 kilometers) of New Jersey’s coast was endorsed by two courts this week, but residents of some beach towns still aren’t happy. A state judge on …

New Jersey Legislators Tout Flood Insurance Reform Legislation

Five years after Superstorm Sandy devastated towns along the New Jersey shore, Sen. Bob Menendez and Rep. Frank Pallone want changes made to federal flood insurance they said will fix a system that often failed beleaguered homeowners. Speaking Thursday on …

Sandy Nightmares Worry NYC Planners, Barrier May Come too Late

The warming Atlantic Ocean has raised the risk of another Hurricane Sandy. And still, trillions of dollars of real estate and infrastructure near the shores of New York City and northern New Jersey remain vulnerable to devastation. A storm-surge barrier …