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When Hurricane Katrina made landfall in southern Louisiana 20 years ago, the region was ill-prepared for the 125 mph winds and catastrophic flooding that would follow. Louisiana, like the rest of the United States, was still adopting modern international building …

Sunny skies and mild temperatures this week greeted the biggest US farm show of the year. The contrast couldn’t be greater with the sentiment among attendees as low crop prices and trade tariffs squeeze the agricultural sector. The market for …

The devastating flooding in Houston caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 killed dozens of people, inundated hundreds of thousands of homes and left the community desperate for a solution. Since then, local flood experts have extensively studied the possibility of …

Scientists at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Global Systems Laboratory said it has developed an hourly assessment of wildfire potential across the U.S. The Boulder, Colorado-based lab’s Hourly Wildfire Potential (HWP) Index, in development since 2019, provides frequent updates …

When Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans in August 2005, causing greater insurance losses than any other natural disaster in history, it became clear that a lot of the city’s flood protection engineering — walls, pumps, levees — had failed. …

Crews cleaned up downed trees and got electricity mostly restored for thousands of people this week after a powerful dust storm roared through the Phoenix area. The wall of dust towering hundreds of feet high dwarfed the city’s neighborhoods. Called …

A jury has awarded at least $2.2 million to a protester who was shot in the face with a less-lethal munition by a Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy during a demonstration against police brutality in 2020. In the verdict last week, …

Heavy rain caused flooding and landslides Wednesday in parts of Southeast Asia, where at least eight deaths were reported in the aftermath of a tropical storm. Flooding occurred in several northern and central provinces of Vietnam, where seven people died, …

Kenya’s biggest publicly traded insurer by market value is planning expansion in African nations with low insurance penetration to augment and diversify revenue. Britam Holdings Ltd., which already has operations in seven African nations, will mostly focus on acquisitions rather …

Liberty Mutual Reinsurance (LM Re) and Safehub, a provider of seismic sensor and risk management technology, announced the launch of an earthquake parametric insurance solution, called “ShakeNet Parametric.” With capacity provided by LM Re and is triggered by the highest-resolution …

Canada’s record-breaking 2023 wildfire season led to a spike in air pollution in the country and in the US, erasing recent progress in cleaning up the air, according to new analysis. The wildfires, which burned 42 million acres of Canadian …

The wildfires that raged across Greece, Turkey and Cyprus this summer were 22% more intense and 10 times more likely than they would have been in a world without climate change, according to scientists. The extremely hot, dry and windy …

A Sierra Club employee filed a workplace misconduct complaint earlier this year with the board of directors alleging that then-executive director Ben Jealous engaged in sexual harassment and bullying. The employee’s complaint, reviewed by Bloomberg News, alleges Jealous made unwelcome …

Insurance industry rating agency AM Best on Thursday affirmed the financial strength rating of A+ (Superior) for the Allstate Insurance Group. The Oldwick, N.J.-based firm noted Allstate’s “favorable market position in the private passenger auto and homeowners’ markets” as well …

The US, Japan and South Korea pledged to intensify efforts to block North Korea’s use of overseas IT workers to raise money for its weapons programs, warning that Pyongyang’s operatives are using increasingly sophisticated tactics to evade detection. North Korean …

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — Rocking on his front porch overlooking the Mississippi Sound, former Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes questions how anyone wouldn’t want to live there. “People are always going to gravitate to the water,” he said. “And we have …

Since 2021, religious schools in Vermont have been receiving an increasing amount of money through Vermont’s school tuitioning program. But Act 73, Vermont’s wide-ranging education reform law signed into law in July, effectively halts that trend. Last week, the state …

Aspire General Insurance announced the completion of a strategic debt financing agreement with Comvest Partners. The investment will enhance California-based Aspire’s capital position, enabling expanded capabilities, deeper market penetration, and continued innovation in insurance technology, according to the company. Comvest …

IMA Financial Group, Inc., a North American insurance brokerage firm specializing in risk management, wholesale brokerage and wealth management, has named Dan Mize as its new Wichita market president, effective Aug. 15. Jeff Jamison, who previously held the role, has …

A Massachusetts couple was arrested this week for their alleged involvement in a scheme that defrauded at least 50 individuals or insurance providers of more than $700,000 through their insurance agency, BL Insurance Brokerage, LLC. Brendan Lawler and Lisa Lawler, …